


No Longer Alone

by Heavenly_Pearl



Category: Kaleido Star
Genre: F/M, Family Drama, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-12
Updated: 2012-09-04
Packaged: 2017-11-09 19:29:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/457531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavenly_Pearl/pseuds/Heavenly_Pearl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his sister's tragic death, Leon was left alone in the world. However, when an ex-girlfriend dies six years later, he discovers the existence of a daughter he never knew he had. Leon has no interest in being a father, but with Sora's help, maybe they can become a family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Kaleido Star doesn't belong to me.

"Leon, you have a phone call!" Ken Robbins shouted.

Leon looked down at the stage manager from his spot on the trapeze platform, none-too-pleased that his practice had been interrupted. "Tell whoever it is to call back later," he said, reaching for the swing in order to prepare for his next maneuver. "I'm busy."

"I really think you should take this call. It's long distance, from Paris."

Leon paused. Other than his former coach Alain Rubel, who probably couldn't even afford to make an overseas phone call, he wasn't in contact with anyone from his home country. "Paris? Who is it?"

"I believe he said his name was Henri Joubert," Ken said. "He says it's urgent that he speak with you."

"I know no one by that name."

"Leon, if Ken says it's important, you should take the call," his partner Sora Naegino called out from the other platform. "Don't worry about practice. We can take a short break."

He let go of the swing and let out a sigh. "Fine," Leon decided, and began climbing down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, he followed Ken backstage to the phone.

"I'll give you some privacy," Ken said before leaving.

Leon picked up the receiver. Whoever this Henri Joubert was, he had better have a good reason for calling. "Hello?"

"Monsieur Oswald? This is Henri Joubert. I apologize for calling you at work, but your home number is unlisted. I'm calling on behalf of the estate of Emilie Paradis."

"Emilie Paradis?" he repeated, confused. It took a moment for Leon to recognize the name of one of his former trapeze partners. "She's dead?"

"I'm sorry," Mr. Joubert apologized. "I assumed you already knew. Mademoiselle Paradis died early last week from injuries incurred during a fatal fall on the trapeze."

"We haven't spoken for several years." Leon rubbed at his forehead, struggling to understand. "In fact, I'm surprised you are even contacting me. Emilie and I didn't part on the best of terms. Has she left me something in her will?"

"Yes. Mademoiselle Paradis named you guardian of her daughter, Gabrielle."

"I'm sorry, but there has to be some sort of mistake -"

"You are Leon Mathieu Oswald, currently a resident of Cape Mary, California in the United States?"

"Yes, but -"

"Then there is no mistake," Mr. Joubert said. "I have the will right here in front of me. It clearly names you as Gabrielle Paradis' guardian in the event of Emilie Paradis' death."

Leon ran a hand through his hair. None of this made any sense. The last time he saw Emilie, she didn't even have a child. "I don't understand. Isn't there anybody else who can take her? Her grandparents? What about Emilie's brother?"

"The child's grandparents are deceased, and Monsieur Paradis is fighting a losing battle with leukemia and not expected to live much longer. He's in no shape to take care of his niece, as much as he would like to."

"Then what about the girl's father?"

There was a short pause on the other end of the line. "This is really quite awkward for me, Monsieur Oswald. I -"

"Just spit it out already," Leon barked, growing more irritated by the moment.

"Well, you see… According to the will, you are Gabrielle's biological father."

"Impossible!" he exclaimed, then frowned. "Okay, I supposed it's not technically _impossible_ , but - How old is the girl?"

"She will be six years old in March."

He quickly calculated the timeline in his head. He had hooked up with Emilie a couple of months after Sophie's death. If the girl was going to turn six in March, then the timing of her likely conception would have been while he was sleeping with Emilie. And if that was true... Feeling as if all the wind had been knocked out of him, Leon slumped into a nearby chair.

"Emilie had a baby? My child? And she didn't even tell me?"

"I realize this must come as quite a shock," Mr. Joubert said, "but the fact remains that you are now legally responsible for the child. I have already booked the plane tickets. We will be arriving at LAX around eleven a.m. tomorrow, your time."

Leon massaged his temple, barely comprehending the lawyer's words. "This is too sudden -"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Monsieur Oswald, but I'm running late for a hearing. I can answer any questions you might have when we arrive. Remember, eleven in the morning at LAX. See you then."

Still stunned by the news, Leon didn't bother to say goodbye and set the receiver back in the cradle. For a long time, he sat immobile, his mind almost complete blank. Despite the facts, the idea that he had fathered a child was near incomprehensible to him.

There had to be some sort of mistake. He couldn't be a father.

"Leon?"

He jumped, startled when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sora asked. "It's been a while since you left to take that call. Was it bad news?"

Leon stared up at Sora, dazed. "I'm fine," he lied, shaking his head to clear away his thoughts. "Somebody I once knew passed away."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, Leon."

He stood back up and stuffed his hands in his pockets, avoiding the look of sympathy he knew Sora must be wearing on her face. "Yes, well… Let's go back to practice. I've already wasted enough time."

"Are you sure? I mean, if you need to take a few days off…"

"I said I was fine. Now, come."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As instructed, Leon arrived at LAX airport shortly before eleven the next morning and made his way to the gate where their plane was set to arrive. According the time table, the flight was on schedule, so it wouldn't be long before he met the girl who was supposedly his daughter.

Even after having a night to digest the news, Leon had difficulty wrapping his mind around the idea. He was most definitely not father material. Yes, he had practically raised his younger sister Sophie after their parents' deaths, but that was different. He had no interest in playing "daddy" to some kid he had never met, even if the girl was biologically his child. There had to be some way to get out of this absurd custody arrangement.

"Honestly, what was Emilie thinking?" he muttered to himself.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he barely noticed when the plane's passengers began disembarking and coming through customs. A heavyset man in a suit, accompanied by a little girl, walked toward Leon and offered his hand.

"Monsieur Oswald?" the man asked. "Henri Joubert. We spoke on the phone yesterday."

Leon, after a moment of hesitation, wordlessly returned the handshake.

"And this is Gabrielle, your daughter."

Leon's gaze dropped down to the child clutching at Henri's hand. If he had any doubts to the girl's paternity, they were all dashed the moment he set eyes on her. She had inherited Emilie's pale green eyes and her button nose, but otherwise, Gabrielle was unmistakably an Oswald. In fact, she greatly resembled Sophie at that age, which caused Leon's heart to briefly seize up.

"Hello," Leon said with a slight nod of his head.

Moving closer to Mr. Joubert, Gabrielle stared down at the floor and began sucking her thumb.

"Don't take her silence personally," Mr. Joubert said. "From what I understand, Gabrielle has not spoken very much since her mother's death. She was present when Mademoiselle Paradis fell, and I believe she's still in shock."

"I see." Leon returned his attention back to Mr. Joubert. "Listen - Monsieur Joubert, was it? We need to talk. Preferably alone."

"Yes, of course." Mr. Joubert looked down at Gabrielle. "Gabrielle, why don't you go sit down over there?" He indicated a row of chairs against the wall. "Don't talk to anyone and stay there where I can see you. We'll join you in a few minutes."

Gabrielle reluctantly released her grip on Mr. Joubert's hand and went to sit down in one of the chairs. Once she was out of earshot, Leon turned to Mr. Joubert.

"I don't want to be a father, Monsieur Joubert," he declared bluntly. "My career at Kaleido Stage keeps me very busy. I don't have time to take care of a child."

Mr. Joubert pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I realize it will be quite the adjustment -"

"You're not listening. I don't want to adjust. I feel sorry for the child, but I didn't sign up for this. Just tell me how I can get out of this arrangement."

The lawyer frowned. "I can draw up some papers to dissolve your parental rights and set up a court date if that is what you want, but, Monsieur Oswald, I believe you are making this decision in haste," he said. "I investigated your background before coming here. From what I understand, you and your younger sister Sophie were orphaned at a very early age and were taken in by some distant relatives.

"They never wanted us," Leon said, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice. "We were just two more mouths to feed. When our talent at the trapeze was discovered, we moved in with our trainer, Alain Rubel, but he wasn't exactly the fatherly-type."

"I imagine you must have felt quite lonely."

"I had Sophie. That was enough."

"Gabrielle has nobody," Mr. Joubert reminded him. "Her mother and grandparents are dead; her uncle is at death's door. If you choose to relinquish your rights, she will be all alone in the world.

"I'm sure there must be a loving couple somewhere who would like to adopt her," Leon said, not appreciating Mr. Joubert bringing up his childhood tragedies in an argument to convince him to keep custody of Gabrielle. That was low, even for a lawyer.

"I'm afraid it is very difficult to place older children. Most people looking to adopt a child want a baby. If you choose to give her up, Gabrielle will most likely be shuffled between foster homes until she comes of age. That is no way for a child to live. They need stability, somebody to love them and care for them."

"I don't know if I can give that to her."

"Look, why don't you take some time to think things over at least?" the lawyer suggested. "Say, a month? If after a month, you still feel this way, I'll look into other alternatives."

"Monsieur Joubert, how many times do I have to tell you I have absolutely _no_ interest in being a father before it sinks into that thick skull of yours? Giving me a month to think things over isn't going to change my mind."

"You never know. Fatherhood can greatly change a man. I have kids myself - two boys, my pride and joy. I was never one for children, but that all changed once I held my firstborn son in my arms for the very first time. Now I can't imagine my life without them."

"My decision won't change."

"Just one month, Monsieur Oswald, that's all I'm asking. It will likely take at least that long to get a court date in front of a judge, anyway. Until then, the girl has nowhere else to go, and you are her legal guardian, so…"

Leon sighed, craning his neck in Gabrielle's direction. The little girl was sitting quietly in her chair, hugging a teddy bear tightly to her chest. Again, he was reminded of Sophie, shortly after their parents died, and he frowned, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"It will only be for a month, right?" he asked, turning his attention back to Mr. Joubert. "Just until you can get a court date?"

"Yes, of course. As soon as I return back to Paris, I will start putting things in motion, if that is what you want."

"Then…fine," Leon decided. It wasn't as if he had any real choice in the matter, anyway. "I suppose I can look after her for a month."

"Good." Mr. Joubert reached into his attaché case and pulled out a manila envelope, which he handed to Leon. "In there is her passport, her birth certificate, her immunization records, etc, etc. If there is anything else you need, don't hesitate to contact me. My information is also included inside." He then started walking over to Gabrielle, Leon following after him at a slower pace.

"Gabrielle, everything's settled," Mr. Joubert announced. "You'll be staying with this man starting from today." As Gabrielle stood back up, he glanced down at his watch. "Oh, my! I booked the next flight straight back to Paris, so I'm afraid I need to get going. Monsieur Oswald, it's been a pleasure meeting you, and Gabrielle, I hope you and your father will get along. Be a good girl, okay?"

Gabrielle slowly nodded her head, and the lawyer said his goodbye before leaving to catch his flight. Once he was out of sight, Leon looked down at Gabrielle and exhaled, wondering what he had gotten himself into. After a moment of hesitation, he reached for the girl's hand and began leading her toward the luggage carousel.

"Come on, let's get your bags and go home."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Damn it!" Leon swore an hour later, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel as they were stopped by yet another red light. Los Angeles traffic was even worse than he remembered. He had hoped to have enough time to drop Gabrielle off at his apartment and ask one of his neighbors to look after her while he was at practice, but it seemed he would have to take her with him.

While waiting for the light to turn green again, he glanced up at Gabrielle's reflection in the rearview mirror. She had yet to say a single word to him and was again sucking her thumb.

"Do you speak English?" Leon asked, figuring he ought to make at least some attempt at conversation.

She nodded.

"Good." That would make things easier. As it was the middle of the school year, he supposed he would have to enroll her in school while she was staying with him. "How about some food? Are you hungry?" He was already running late. It wouldn't matter if he took a few extra minutes to run through a drive-thru.

She shook her head.

Leon looked back over his shoulder at the child. They had only met an hour ago, but she was already trying his patience. "Okay, stop sucking your thumb and talk to me," he ordered, irritated. "You're not a baby."

Gabrielle pulled her thumb out of her mouth, but still didn't say anything. By that time, the light had turned green, and the man in the car behind him was blasting his horn. Leon resisted the urge to flip the man the bird - he realized he probably shouldn't do that in front of a child - and turned back around in his seat. The two of them spent the rest of the drive in silence until Leon parked in front of Kaleido Stage's training facility.

"I don't have time to take you home," he explained, grabbing his gym bag from the backseat. "You'll have to come with me to practice.

Gabrielle wordlessly followed Leon inside the facility. Sora had already arrived and was working on the trapeze, Mia Guillem on the floor, giving her instructions. The two of them stopped what they were doing when they heard Leon and Gabrielle come in.

"Leon, um, wow," Mia said as Sora began climbing down. "This is certainly a surprise. Who is this cute little girl?"

"My…daughter." The word sounded strange coming out of his mouth, like he was attempting to speak an unknown foreign language.

"Daughter?" Sora repeated, joining them. Her brown eyes widened, obviously taken off-guard by the news, but then she squatted down so that she was eye-to-eye with Gabrielle and smiled. "Hi, I'm Sora, your daddy's partner on the trapeze, and this is my friend, Mia. What's your name?"

Surprisingly, not even Sora's overly friendly nature could coax Gabrielle to speak. "Her name is Gabrielle," Leon answered for her. "She doesn't talk much, although she apparently does speak English."

Sora smiled even brighter. "You have a very pretty name, Gabrielle. Nice to meet you."

Leon turned his attention to Mia, who was directing Kaleido Stage's latest production. "I'm sorry about this, Mia," he apologized. "She just arrived from France a couple of hours ago, and I didn't have time to drop her off at home because of the traffic."

"Oh, no, it's fine," Mia said. "As long as she doesn't get in the way, she's more than welcome to stay." She placed a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder and pointed to a couple of chairs placed against the wall. "Why don't you go have a seat over there and watch your daddy practice?"

Gabrielle did as she was told, and Mia turned her attention back to Leon and Sora. She brought out her laptop and pulled up a movement simulation program. "I was just describing to Sora this new move I'm thinking about using as the climax in our next show. See, it goes something like this…"

Leon only half-listened to Mia's explanation of the complicated maneuver. Gabrielle seemed to be staring up at the trapeze with great trepidation, her pale green eyes as large as saucers. He frowned, wondering if it was a good idea to let her watch the practice after all.

"Leon, did you get all that? Leon?" Mia waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to Leon?"

"What?" Leon returned his attention back to Mia, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to focus on practice right now, not Gabrielle. "Yes, it sounds fine," he said.

"Really? You don't have any suggestions or modifications?" Mia asked, accustomed to him requesting at least one or two changes.

"It's an amazing maneuver, Mia," Sora assured her. "I can't wait to try it out. Right, Leon?"

"Right," he said. "Let me go change, then we'll give it a try."

When Leon returned from the locker room a few minutes later, he noticed that Gabrielle was still staring up at the trapeze. He stopped beside her chair.

"Hey, are you okay, kid?" he asked.

She nodded, but her eyes were still glued to the swings. Sora had already climbed up to the platform and was waving down at them. "Come on, Leon!" she shouted. "Let's try out Mia's new move!"

Deciding that Gabrielle would be fine, Leon climbed the ladder up to the opposite platform and prepared to begin the maneuver. Though he hadn't paid much attention to Mia's demonstration, he understood the basic idea of it. He grabbed the swing Mia had pulled over to him and kicked off, soaring high over the safety net below.

Everything was going fine until Sora released her grip on the swing a moment too soon. Leon realized he wouldn't be able to catch her in his current position, so he loosened his knees and dropped down so that he was hanging from the bar only by his ankles. He managed to grab Sora's hands, but in an uncharacteristic mistake on his part, his grip on the swing slipped, and the two of them fell down to the net.

"Papa!"

Gabrielle's high-pitched scream startled Leon even more than the unexpected fall. As he and Sora climbed out of the net, Mia ran over to the little girl, who had begun to cry, and tried to comfort her.

"Hey, don't cry, Gabrielle," Mia said in a soft voice. "Your dad and Sora are fine. See?"

Leon walked over and kneeled down in front of the crying girl, wondering what he should do in such a situation. He wasn't exactly the comforting type. "Look, I'm okay, Gabrielle," he said. "I'm not hurt at all. The net broke our fall."

"I wasn't hurt, either," Sora said, joining them.

Gabrielle threw her arms around Leon's neck, burying her face into his chest. "Papa…" she whispered, still crying.

It was then that Leon remembered Mr. Joubert mentioning something about Emilie's death being caused by a fatal fall from the trapeze and that Gabrielle had seen it happen. Of course she would be upset, seeing him fall like that. Awkwardly, he patted her back, unsure of how else to comfort her.

"Maybe it's not the best idea to have her watch practice, Leon," Mia said, echoing his thoughts. "I saw Sarah hanging around the boss' office earlier. Why don't I ask her to watch Gabrielle until we're finished?"

"I think that's a good idea," he agreed, gently disengaging himself from Gabrielle's hold. "Gabrielle, go with Mia."

Shaking her head, Gabrielle grabbed onto him again and refused to let go.

A small smile crossed Sora's lips. "She's certainly attached to you, _Papa_ ," she teased, causing Leon to give her the eye.

"You'll be fine," he told Gabrielle. "Mia is going to introduce you to a nice woman who'll look after you while I practice. After I'm done, we'll go home."

"Promise?" she asked in a small voice, wiping away her tears with the sleeve of her cardigan. "You won't get hurt?"

"There's no need to worry," Sora said. "Your daddy is one of the best trapeze artists in the world. The only reason he fell today was because I made a silly mistake, but I promise to do my best not to make it again."

"Come on, Gabrielle," Mia said, taking her by the hand. "You'll like Sarah. She's a little weird at times, but a lot of fun. Leon, you and Sora continue working on that move while I'm gone. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Though she still seemed reluctant to leave, Gabrielle followed Mia out of the practice room. Once the door closed behind them, Leon turned to Sora.

"So, um, thanks, I guess," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Sora tilted her head in confusion. "What for? I didn't do anything."

"For what you said. You didn't have to take the blame for the fall. It was my fault that we fell. I made the mistake."

"But you wouldn't have needed to improvise like that if my timing hadn't been off," she pointed out. "Besides, little girls like to think their fathers are invincible. It's not like I said anything that wasn't true. You are one of the best trapeze artists in the world."

"Yes, well… Still, thanks."

Sora grinned. "You're welcome."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After practice was over, Leon headed to the owner's office and knocked on the door. Sarah Dupont answered, pressing a finger to her lips.

"Hey, Leon," she whispered. "Practice over?"

"Yes," he said in a low voice as he entered the office, taking her cue. "Why are we whispering?"

Sarah nodded her head to the left. Gabrielle was asleep on the couch, curled up with her teddy bear. "She's been sleeping for the past hour or so. I imagine she's quite jet-lagged after her flight."

"I see. Thank you for looking after her this afternoon. I appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure." Sarah smiled and placed a hand on her rounded belly. "I just considered it practice for this little one."

"I hope she wasn't any trouble."

"Oh, no, not at all. She was a perfect angel," she said. "I must admit, though, I was quite surprised to find out you have a daughter, Leon."

"Not as surprised as I was," he muttered in an aside.

"What? Did you say something?"

Leon shook his head. "Never mind. It's nothing." He walked over to the couch and gently shook Gabrielle's shoulder. "Wake up, kid," he said in a slightly louder voice than he had been using. "It's time to go home."

Her eyes fluttered open for a second, but she immediately fell back asleep.

"She's exhausted. Let her sleep," Sarah said.

"I suppose so." Leon picked her up, carrying her over his shoulder. "Will you get the door for me, Sarah?"

"Sure. Oh, and don't forget her shoes and her sweater. Here." She handed him Gabrielle's things, then opened the door.

"Thanks."

Gabrielle continued sleeping the entire car ride home to Leon's apartment. When they finally arrived at the building, he turned around in the driver's seat to wake her up, but decided not to when he saw how peacefully she was resting. With a sigh, Leon got out of the car and grabbed Gabrielle's suitcase from the trunk before once again carrying her upstairs.

"Don't get use to this, kid," he muttered when they reached his door, setting down the suitcase to dig his key out of his pocket.

Inside, he carried her to the guest room and laid her down on the full-sized bed. Admittedly, it wasn't exactly the kid-friendliest room, filled with dark furniture and expensive artwork, but Leon didn't see the point in redecorating when she was only going to be staying with him for a short time.

 _I suppose I ought to change her into pajamas_ , he thought, noticing the frilly blue dress she was wearing. He brought the suitcase over to the bed and began unpacking, frowning when he saw that most of her wardrobe consisted of heavy, bulky sweaters and flannel nightgowns. While in Paris, it was normal to wear such things in January, winters in Cape Mary were much more mild, rarely dipping below sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Whoever had packed her bag had obviously failed to take that into consideration.

"I'll have to remember to buy her some new clothes," he said to himself, pausing when his hand brushed against something other than fabric.

Leon lifted up a folded sweater to discover a picture frame laying face down. Curious, he picked up the frame and turned it around, sucking in a sharp breath when he saw the picture placed inside. He sat down on the edge of the mattress, staring down at the photo.

It wasn't a normal photograph, but a circus flyer, advertising the last show he and Emilie had performed in together, _Le Fantôme de l'Opéra_. As the stars of the production, they were featured prominently on the advertisement, Leon dressed as the masked phantom and Emilie as Christine. The show had been Noir Circus' biggest financial and critical success until that terrible night when he…

"Papa?"

Leon jumped, startled by the unexpected sound of Gabrielle's voice. "Oh, you're up," he said, placing the picture frame back facedown into the suitcase. "Did I wake you?"

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and shook her head. "Where are we?" she asked, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"My apartment. This is your new bedroom."

"Oh. It's…nice."

Leon could tell she was saying that just to be polite. "Are you hungry or anything?" he asked, standing back up. He grabbed the remaining clothes in the suitcase - along with the picture - and stuffed everything into an empty drawer.

She nodded.

"Then let's go to the kitchen. It's about time for dinner."

Gabrielle climbed out of bed and followed Leon, who gave a brief tour of the apartment on their way to the kitchen. She took a seat at the table while Leon rummaged through the refrigerator and pantry for something to eat. There wasn't much to be found. Since he lived by himself, he rarely saw the point in cooking for one person, so he usually went out to eat or ordered take-out.

"How about some soup?" he asked upon finding a can of vegetable soup hidden behind a box of whole-wheat crackers.

"I guess so."

Leon heated up the soup and sat down at the table across from Gabrielle. Neither of them spoke while they ate, though Gabrielle kept staring at him as if she wanted to say something. In fact, she barely touched her soup, preferring to swirl her spoon around the bowl instead.

"You're not eating," Leon commented after he had finished his bowl. "I thought you were hungry."

"I don't like this kind," she mumbled.

"Well, it's all I have. If you don't like it, you can just go hungry."

She took a few more sips of the soup, then finally pushed the bowl away. "I'm done," she said. "Can I go back to bed, Papa?"

"Yes, go," Leon said, getting up to clear the table.

Gabrielle ran back to her room, no doubt wanting to get away from him as soon as possible - not that Leon blamed her. He had never gotten along well with children, not even when he was a child himself. Sophie had been the sole exception, his only real friend.

Sighing, Leon poured himself a nightcap after washing the dishes and sat back down at the table. He thought back to Mr. Joubert's words. Perhaps fatherhood changed some men, but he found it unlikely it would happen in his case. He had no business being a father, especially after what had happened that night. Again, he wondered what on Earth possessed Emilie to name him Gabrielle's guardian in the event of her death in the first place. Surely, one of her friends would have been a more logical choice.

He downed the rest of his wine, then decided to go to bed. Along the way to his bedroom, he paused at the door to Gabrielle's room, hearing what sounded like crying coming from inside. Leon pushed the door open a crack and found the little girl laying on the bed, her face buried in a pillow.

 _I should probably ask her what's wrong_ , he thought, but his body remained frozen in place, unable to respond. After a few moments, he sighed and closed the door behind him, heading to bed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, Leon was awakened by somebody shaking his arm. He opened his eyes, just barely making out a young girl's shadow when a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the room. It took him a moment to remember who she was.

"Gabrielle?" He glanced over at the digital alarm clock on his nightstand. It was just a little after two in the morning. "What are you doing up? Go back to bed."

"I'm scared, Papa," she said in a voice barely about a whisper.

"Of what? The thunder?"

Gabrielle jumped as a clap of thunder boomed, answering his question.

"Thunder is just noise," Leon said, annoyed he had been roused from his sleep for such a silly reason. "It can't hurt you. Go back to bed. I'm trying to sleep."

"But it's dark. I don't know my way back."

Groaning, Leon sat up and tossed his blanket aside. "Fine, let's go," he said, taking her hand and leading her back to the guest room. "Here you are. Now go to sleep."

"W-Will you tuck me in?" she asked, still holding his hand tightly. " _Maman_ always tucked me in."

Leon did as she asked, bringing her over to the bed and pulling the blankets over her. He was just about the leave to return to his own room when Gabrielle grabbed the fabric of his pajama pants, stopping him. He frowned, turning back around. "Now what is it? If you want me to tell you a bedtime story, I don't know any."

She shook her head. "Will you stay with me, Papa?" she asked instead, clutching her teddy bear to her chest. "I'm still scared."

"Look, I told you, there's nothing to be scared about. Thunder is loud, but it won't hurt you, I promise. You'll be fine."

"Please?"

Something about the pale, vulnerable look on her face gave him pause. She truly was frightened. With a sigh, he motioned for her to scoot over. "Fine," he said, climbing into the bed with her once she had moved over to the other side. "Happy now?"

Gabrielle smiled for the first time since they met. "Yes."

"Don't get used to this. It's only for tonight, since it's your first night here," he reminded her as she curled up against him. "So be a good girl and go to sleep."

She nodded, and within minutes, her eyes had closed, her breathing soft and steady as her body relaxed into sleep. Looking down at Gabrielle's sleeping face, Leon was reminded of the times when Sophie used to crawl into his bed during thunderstorms when they were kids, and his irritation lessened. "Goodnight," he whispered before joining her in slumber.


	2. Shopping

When Leon awoke the next morning, it took him a few moments to realize he was in the guest bedroom instead of his own room. Gabrielle was still asleep beside him, hugging her teddy bear tightly in her arms. Leon stared down at her sleeping figure, marveling yet again how much she resembled her aunt Sophie, until he heard a knock on the door.

"What the -?"

He wasn't expecting any visitors. Leon climbed out of bed, taking care not to disturb Gabrielle, and went to answer the door.

"Sora, what are you doing here?" he asked, surprised to find his partner standing in the hall. Kaleido Stage was closed down for the week due to routine maintenance, so they didn't have practice. "It's the first day of vacation."

"I thought I would see if you needed any help with Gabrielle. May I come in?"

"Uh…sure." He moved to the side, allowing Sora entrance into the apartment.

"This is the first time I've seen your place," she commented, taking a look around after she stepped inside. "It's nice. Very spacious…and dark."

His style was clean and modern, decorated with very little color. The walls and carpeting were white, but everything else was stark black, save for a collection of vintage circus posters that hung from the walls in silver frames - they once belonged to Sophie, who had enjoyed collecting them - and a couple of red throw pillows that sat on the leather furniture. "I like the color black," Leon said.

"I can tell. I hope Gabrielle's room is a little cheerier, though."

He frowned. "If you're just going to insult my taste in interior design -"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she apologized. "I actually think this place suits you well."

He wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or not. "What is that?" he asked instead, changing the subject. He noticed that she was carrying a bag from a local pastry shop, along with a covered paper cup.

"Well, you don't really seem the type to cook a lot, so I thought I would make some breakfast for you and Gabrielle. Then I remembered that I'm not much of a cook either, so I decided to stop by _Marie's_ on my way here. I noticed that you sometimes get breakfast from there. Oh, here." She handed him the cup of coffee. "It's black. That's how you take it, right?"

"Yes, it is," he said, impressed that she had remembered. "Thanks."

"Where is Gabrielle, by the way?"

"Still sleeping."

"Oh, I didn't wake you up, did I?" A faint blush colored her cheeks when she finally became aware of the fact that he was dressed only in a pair of silk pajama pants.

"No, I was awake." He ran a hand through his tangled hair. "Look, I'm going to go take a shower, so make yourself at home. If Gabrielle wakes up…"

"I'll be happy to watch her until you get out."

"Thanks."

Leon went to take a quick shower and got dressed. By the time he came back out, Gabrielle had woken up and Sora was entertaining her by doing some simple floor exercises in the living room. As usual whenever Sora performed, her audience was captive, Gabrielle's eyes following every move she made with delight. Once she had finished, Gabrielle was clapping wildly, and even Leon gave her a light applause.

"Oh, Leon," she said, standing back up and quickly pulling down her T-shirt, which had ridden up during her performance, exposing her toned, flat stomach. "I didn't see you there. I was just -"

"You'll stay for breakfast, I presume?" he asked on his way to the kitchen.

Sora and Gabrielle followed after him. "Is it really okay?" Sora asked. "I don't want to intrude…"

At the counter, Leon began unpacking the bag Sora brought, placing the pastries on plates. "You're the one who treated us." Besides, with Sora there, he thought the meal might not be as uncomfortable as dinner was the night before. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"No, and I'm starving. Those pastries smell amazing!" Sora took two of the plates and sat down at the table with Gabrielle, handing one to her. "Mmm, they taste good, too!" she exclaimed after taking a bite. "I can see why you like them, Leon."

Leon took the last plate and joined them. "This place us decent, but it can't really compare to the little patisserie I used to frequent when I lived in Paris."

"There are better pastries than these? I'd like to try one someday."

He sipped at his coffee. "It shut down a few years ago. The owner died."

"Oh." After a brief silence, Sora changed the subject. "So what are you two going to do today? Any special plans?"

Unenthused, Leon glanced over at Gabrielle, who was silently eating a jelly-filled donut. Without practice as an excuse, there was no escape from having to spend time with the girl, no matter how awkward it might be. "I suppose I ought to take her shopping," he said, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Whoever packed her bags failed to take into account how mild the winters are here."

"Oh, shopping sounds like fun! Doesn't it, Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle nodded, obviously still shy around Sora.

"Would you like to come with us?" Leon asked. The words came out before he had any time to think about them.

Sora's eyes widened, surprised. "You're inviting me to come along with you?"

"That's what I just asked, didn't I?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, I don't know much about shopping for five-year-old girls. You'd know better than me."

"In that case, I'll be happy to help in anyway I can! I'll do my best to be your partner in shopping."

"It's only clothes shopping, Sora," he said, faintly amused. "It's not like we're doing the Angel's Maneuver."

"What's the Angel's Maneuver?" Gabrielle asked, speaking up for the first time that morning.

"It's this super-amazing trapeze act your father and I pulled off together a few years ago. If you want, I'll let you borrow a DVD of the show sometime. Your father was incredible in it. It was like…"

She proceeded to go into a long and impassioned description of the Angel's Maneuver, Gabrielle hanging onto her every word. Leon was impressed by how well the two of them seemed to be getting along and found himself smiling despite himself, his mouth hidden behind his coffee cup. It had been a long time since he had company for breakfast. He had forgotten how enjoyable it could be.

"Did you - Did you ever fall?" Gabrielle asked after Sora had finished explaining.

"In the beginning, when I first started training, yes, but I never worried during the actual performances. I knew your father would always catch me."

At that, Leon and Gabrielle both went silent, Gabrielle's face going as pale as a ghost. It was the same look she wore yesterday, when they had fallen from the trapeze during practice.

"Gabrielle, go get dressed," he ordered, gathering up the plates to clean up. "We'll leave in about ten minutes."

She did as she was told, running back to her bedroom.

"Did I say something I shouldn't have?" Sora asked once Gabrielle had left.

After a long pause, Leon let out a heavy sigh. "Gabrielle's mother died after falling from the trapeze. She saw it happen."

Sora brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh, no, I had no idea… So that's why she suddenly came to live with you?"

"She's not living here. She's only staying with me for a few weeks until other arrangements can be made."

"She's not staying? But, Leon, she's your daughter -"

"She's a stranger," Leon interrupted. "I didn't even know Gabrielle existed until a couple of days ago. Her mother never told me she was pregnant."

"Still, even so -"

"Listen, I'm not cut out to be a father, okay? If you're going to try to convince me to let her stay, you can leave right now. I'll take Gabrielle shopping by myself."

"If that's your decision…" Sora said in a soft voice, although he could tell she didn't really want to drop the subject.

"It is," he said. Leon finished up the dishes and wiped off his hands with a nearby towel. "By the way, I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything to Gabrielle about this."

"She doesn't even know this isn't permanent? Leon, she's going to get attached to you if you -"

"I will tell her, eventually. I just have to find the right time."

"Tell me what, Papa?"

Startled by the sound of Gabrielle's voice, Leon turned around to find the girl standing at the entrance to the kitchen, already dressed. "How long have you been there?"

"I just came out," she said, tilting her head to the side. "What did you want to tell me?"

Leon shared a look with Sora, but quickly glanced away. "It's nothing important," he lied. "Let's get going."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon arriving at the mall, Sora was the one to take the lead, holding Gabrielle's hand, while Leon strolled behind them, content to follow Sora wherever she wanted to go. "Hey, this place looks nice," Sora said, stopping in front of a kids' clothing store. She glanced behind at Leon. "Want to check it out?"

He had no objections, so the three of them entered the store. While Sora and Gabrielle browsed the little girls' section, Leon stood with his arms crossed, bored out of his mind. Shopping wasn't his idea of a good time. He should have just given Sora his credit card and let her take Gabrielle shopping on her own.

"May I help you, sir?" a saleslady asked, approaching him.

"No, I'm with them," he replied, nodding in the direction of the others. Sora was holding up a black velveteen and lace dress in front of Gabrielle. "Sora, she doesn't need any fancy dresses," Leon said with a frown. "Just pick out some jeans and light sweaters for her."

"But I like it, Papa," Gabrielle said. She twirled around, holding the dress up against her body. "It's so pretty!"

"Your daughter would look just darling in that dress," the saleslady agreed.

"Fine, she can have it if she wants," he decided with a wave of his hand, not really caring either way.

The saleslady chuckled. "I can certainly tell that one has you wrapped around her little finger," she quipped before walking over to answer Sora's question about converting European sizing to American.

Leon sighed, turning around to face a nearby rack of baby clothes. He began browsing through the selection of frilly, pastel dresses with disinterest until he came across a miniature version of the dress Gabrielle had liked. He held the dress up, fingering the soft black fabric.

 _I wonder what Gabrielle looked like as a baby,_ Leon thought idly, startled when he sensed someone come up behind him.

"What are you doing, Leon?" Sora asked.

Leon placed the dress back on the rack and coughed into his fist. "I was just looking for something to buy for Sarah's and Kalos' baby," he lied, thinking quickly.

His partner laughed. "They don't even know if it's going to be a boy or girl yet. I think it's a little early to be buying it clothes."

"I suppose you're right." He turned back around. "Have you finished?"

"I think so." She patted the stack of clothes she carried over her left arm. "In addition to the dress, we picked out two pairs of jeans, four sweaters, three T-shirts, a couple of blouses, a skirt, some nightclothes, and a swimsuit. That should be enough for now."

He arched an eyebrow. "A swimsuit?" Even with Cape Mary's mild winters, it would be a couple of months before the weather would be suitable enough for swimming.

Sora shrugged. "She really wants to go to the beach with you one day, and I couldn't exactly tell her that she would be leaving before you got the chance," she said, giving him a pointed look.

"Don't look at me like that, Sora," Leon said, relieving her of some of the load before heading to the counter to pay. "If she wants the swimsuit, it's fine. It's not like they don't have beaches back in France."

Sora started to protest, but at that point, Gabrielle had rejoined them, preventing her from saying anything more on the matter, much to his relief. He paid for their purchases, then they left the store, Leon turning to head back to the parking lot. Sora and Gabrielle, on the other hand, went in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"The toy store," Sora said. "Gabrielle mentioned the only toy she brought with her is a stuffed bear."

"I didn't say anything about buying toys, Sora. This trip was just to buy clothes, and I think this is enough."

"You asked me to come along to help you buy what she needs," she corrected him, "and I think she needs some toys. There's nothing fun for her to do at that apartment of yours, Leon."

Gabrielle reached for his free hand. "Please, Papa?" she pleaded.

"Okay, fine, let's go to the toy store," he relented with a sigh as the two of them began dragging him in the direction of the store, realizing that Sora had a point.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entire afternoon was spent like that. Every time they left a store, Sora inevitably thought of some other place they needed to go: the bookstore, the shoe store, the stationary store... She even convinced Leon to buy Gabrielle a new sheet and comforter set for the guest room to make it "cheerier". Had she not know the circumstances, she probably would have insisted he buy a new bedroom set as well.

"Okay, I think this is enough shopping for one day," Leon declared once they left the department store. If he didn't put his foot down now, who knew how many more hours they would spend shopping? "You've already maxed out my credit card."

"Oops!" Turning around so that she was walking backwards, Sora bashfully rubbed at the back of her neck and laughed. "I did go a little overboard, didn't I?"

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't."

"Thanks, I think?" she said, unable to tell if that was a compliment or not.

"Anyway, let's go home," Leon said, moving ahead of her to take the lead. "Sora, I'll take you back to the dorms."

After dropping Sora off at the Kaleido Stage dormitory, where she had taken over as dorm manager after Sarah married Kalos, Leon and Gabrielle headed home, neither of them saying much of anything. The awkwardness between them had returned in full force without Sora around to act as a buffer. When they arrived back the apartment, Gabrielle went straight to her bedroom to play with her new toys while Leon prepared dinner. As Sora suspected, he wasn't much of a cook, but he could bake chicken and prepare a salad, at least.

"Gabrielle, dinner," he called out after setting the table.

Gabrielle came out of her room and sat down across from Leon.

"I, uh, hope you like chicken," he said, placing a piece on her plate and cutting it into smaller bites.

She shrugged. "It's okay, I guess," she said in a soft voice.

After that, the two of them ate in silence, Gabrielle again barely touching her meal. Leon sighed, but didn't say anything about it, adding lemon chicken to the growing list of foods she apparently didn't like.

"I-I liked Sora," Gabrielle said near the end of dinner, surprising Leon, who had not expected her to speak. "She's nice."

Leon cleared his throat. "Yes, she is," he agreed. "Sora is one of the kindest people I know."

"Is she your girlfriend?" she asked, causing Leon to nearly choke on the piece of chicken he was eating. Her eyes wide, Gabrielle jumped up. "Are you okay, Papa?"

He held up a hand, signaling her to stay back, and pounded on his chest until the chicken went down the right tube. "I'm fine," he said after taking a sip of his wine.

Gabrielle sat back down. "So, is she?"

"No, we're just partners at work. That's all."

"Oh." After a pause, she spoke up again. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"I don't think this is appropriate dinner conversation."

"I was just curious…" she said, looking down at her plate.

"No, I don't have a girlfriend."

"Why not?"

"What is this, Twenty Questions?" he asked, stabbing at his chicken. "I just haven't met anybody I liked."

"Oh." She started playing with a cherry tomato, pushing it around the plate with her fork. "Did you like my mother?"

Leon set down his fork and rubbed at his temple. He did not like where this conversation was heading. "Gabrielle, go to your room," he ordered in a sharp voice.

"But I'm not finished."

"I can tell you don't like it." He reached for her plate and dumped what she hadn't eaten on his. "Now go play with your toys or something. Bedtime is in an hour."

She obeyed, leaving Leon to finish eating in peace and clean up the kitchen. By the time he was done, it was Gabrielle's bedtime. He went to her room, finding her already dressed in a pair of her new pajamas and looking through one of the picture books he had bought her.

"It's time for bed," he announced, lightly knocking on the door before coming in.

Gabrielle closed her book and got under the covers as Leon walked over to tuck her in. He took a seat on the edge of the bed and sighed, regretting how he had reacted to her innocent questions. It wasn't her fault that she had hit a nerve.

"Look, I'm sorry if I was a bit short with you at dinner," he said.

She sat back up. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I just -" Upon glancing over at the nightstand, he noticed the framed circus flyer he had hidden in the dresser had been put on display. Leon reached over and picked it up.

"When I asked _Maman_ who my father was, she gave me that picture," Gabrielle explained. "I always thought you were really handsome, like a prince in a fairy tale."

"Did she tell you much about me?"

She shook her head. "I think it made her too sad."

"I imagine it did," he said in a low voice before placing the picture back on the nightstand.

"Did you love _Maman_?"

Leon inhaled a breath, taking a moment to compose his thoughts before answering. "I…cared about her, but I was going through a rough time. I'm afraid I didn't treat your mother very well because of that."

"Did you know about me?"

"No, she never told me she was having a baby."

"If she had, would you have stayed?"

Leon glanced away. "I think that's enough questions for tonight, okay?" he said, tucking her back in. "Goodnight."

She yawned and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Papa."


	3. Learning

The day after their shopping spree was spent at home, Gabrielle sitting in front of the television with a stack of Disney DVDs Sora had talked him into buying while Leon indulged in his favorite pastime and read a novel - something he rarely had time for when he was working. The leading child experts would probably read him the riot act for allowing the TV to act as a baby-sitter, but what else was he supposed to do? He had no idea how to entertain a five-year-old girl, and Sora was a no-show, presumably thinking it best to give them some private family bonding time.

He decided it was best to enroll Gabrielle in school as soon as possible. The next morning, Leon got in contact with Jean Benigni, the set director at Kaleido Stage, who recommended the same elementary school his now-thirteen-year-old daughter Marion had attended as a child. Unfortunately, Jean informed him that it was a school holiday, so Gabrielle wouldn't be able to start until the following day at the earliest.

As he set the phone back in its receiver, Leon sighed. It looked like it was another day of singing mermaids and talking toys. He was about to start preparing breakfast for him and Gabrielle when the phone rang. "Hello, Oswald residence," he said, cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder as he grabbed a few items from his mostly-barren refrigerator to make omelets and set them on the counter.

"Hey, Leon, it's me, Sora," his partner said, sounding perky and energetic first thing in the morning. "I hope you don't mind me calling so early. Mia's busy working on the plans for the new show, and Anna just left to visit her father in Chicago on a comedy tour, so I thought I might come by and hang out with you and Gabrielle for the day. That is, if you don't mind, of course."

Mind? More like he couldn't believe his good luck!

"Sure, come over if you want," Leon said, keeping it cool. "In fact, why don't you take Gabrielle out for a girls' day? She really seems to like you."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. "I like her, too, but, Leon, she's only going to be staying with you for a short time. Don't you want to spend as much time with her as possible?"

"We spent the entire day together yesterday."

"Doing what?"

"Watching those silly movies you made me buy." He omitted the fact that he had spent most of that time with his nose stuck in a book, ignoring both the movies and Gabrielle.

"All day?"

"She seemed to enjoy them."

"That's not the point. Today, we're going to the park," Sora decided on her own. "It's a beautiful day, so let's enjoy it together! And, yes, you're going, too," she added. "We'll have a picnic lunch, then play on the playground. It'll be fun."

"Sora, I -"

"No excuses. I'll take care of everything. All you have to do is show up with Gabrielle at noon. I'll be waiting by the fountain."

She hung up before Leon had the chance to refuse, leaving him no choice in the matter.

Shortly before twelve, he and Gabrielle walked over to the nearby park. Sora was not there when they arrived at the main fountain, but a few minutes later, she jogged over, lugging a large cooler in one hand. The other she waved in greeting. "Sorry, I'm late," she said. "The food took longer to prepare than I thought. I wasn't sure what to bring, so I made a little bit of everything. Come on, let's set up under that tree."

Sora wasn't lying when she said she had brought a "little bit of everything". For somebody who had admitted she wasn't much of a cook, she certainly had put a lot of effort into making a great lunch for them. Even Gabrielle - Princess of Picky Eating - found enough she liked amongst the smorgasbord to fill up most of her paper plate. Leon took note, thinking he should probably take her grocery shopping later.

"Not bad," he said after taking a bite of some Chinese dish he didn't recognize.

"May helped me a little," Sora admitted, somewhat bashfully. "I'm glad you like it, though."

After they finished eating, Sora took Gabrielle to play on some nearby swings, while Leon remained sitting under the tree, his back leaning against the trunk. He pulled out the novel he had started yesterday, but only managed to get halfway through the chapter before he was distracted by Gabrielle shouting, "Higher, Sora! Higher!"

A sad smile crossed his lips, thinking back to the days when he and Sophie would play on the swings when they were children, before they were ever recruited by Alain Rubel for the trapeze. Just like Gabrielle, Sophie always wanted to go "higher, higher," believing that if she just swung high enough, she might be able to see their parents in heaven.

 _Does Gabrielle hold the same belief?_ Leon wondered, watching Sora push the girl even higher. _Is she trying to see Emilie again?_

After a while, he set his forgotten book aside and walked over to the swing set. Sora, surprised by his sudden appearance, dropped her arms to the side, and Gabrielle dragged her sneakers on the ground, coming to a stop.

"Papa?"

Wordlessly, Leon walked up behind her and grabbed the two chains, pulling the swing backwards before releasing it again with a powerful push that sent Gabrielle soaring. She let out a happy shriek, her loose white-blonde hair trailing in the air behind her. Beside him, Sora smiled, obviously approving, then sat down on the empty swing to the left, kicking off on her own. It wasn't long before she was swinging as high as Gabrielle, her form as graceful as it was on the trapeze.

"Papa, higher!" Gabrielle squealed, not wanting to be beaten. "I want to touch the sky!"

As he gave her another strong push, Leon thought of Sophie once again and couldn't help but wish it was possible.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning was Gabrielle's first day of school. While Leon was drinking his coffee and reading the morning paper, Gabrielle entered the kitchen, holding a brush and some ribbons in her hands.

"Um, Papa, can you braid my hair?" she asked, Though she still didn't talk much, she seemed to be gradually breaking out of her shell.

"What's wrong with the way you have it now?"

"Nothing, but…"

Leon set the newspaper aside and stood up. "Fine, sit down and eat your breakfast," he said, indicating the bowl of cereal he had prepared for her. "We're already running behind."

Gabrielle sat down, but didn't touch her cereal as Leon began brushing her long hair. Thanks to Sophie, he had a lot of experience styling girls' hair.

"You're not eating," Leon said, frowning. After their day at the park, he (and Sora) had taken Gabrielle grocery shopping specifically to buy foods she liked. "I thought you said you liked that cereal."

" _Maman_ always put bananas in my cereal."

"I don't have any bananas. You'll have to do without for today."

"Okay," she sighed, picking up her spoon and taking a bite.

A few minutes later, somebody knocked on the front door. Since he was in the middle of French braiding Gabrielle's hair and couldn't answer, Leon called out, "Come in, it's open."

"Hi! I hope I'm not intruding," Sora said, joining them in the kitchen.

"Sora!" Gabrielle jumped up from her chair, intending to hug their guest, but was held back by Leon, who still styling her hair. "Ow!"

"Hold still. I'm almost done," he said, finishing off the plait. For a final touch, he tied one of the ribbons around the elastic band into a bow. "There."

The moment he finished, Gabrielle ran over and threw her arms around Sora's waist. "Sora!"

"Hey, Gabi, are you excited about your first day of school?"

Gabrielle nodded. "Look at my hair," she said, turning around so that Sora could see. "Papa did it."

"It looks great!" Sora glanced over at Leon, who had resumed reading his paper, and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you were so talented at styling hair, Leon. Most guys have no idea how to French braid."

He shrugged. "When you're in our business, you pick things up," he said dismissively. "Gabrielle, finish your breakfast. We'll need to get there early to fill out the enrollment papers."

"Mind if I tag along?" Sora asked, causing Leon to glance up from the article he had been reading.

"I don't mind, but why?"

"Hmm… Moral support, I guess?"

"Suit yourself," he said, turning his attention to Gabrielle. "Do you have your backpack packed?"

"Almost."

"Go finish up."

Gabrielle went back to her room to finish getting ready while Leon cleaned up the kitchen, Sora looking on in amusement.

"I never imagined I would ever see you looking so domesticated," she said. "For a man who didn't think he had what it took to be a father, you seem to be doing a good job so far."

"Don't be ridiculous," he said, frowning when he noticed Gabrielle's new Barbie lunchbox sitting on the counter. "Damn, I forgot to make her lunch."

"Don't worry. Do you have some peanut butter and jelly?"

"In the pantry."

"Thanks," she said, pulling them out and making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Leon grabbed a juice box, an apple, and a small bag of chips to add to the lunch and placed them in the lunchbox. They finished packing everything just as Gabrielle came back out, dragging her backpack behind her.

"Ready?" he asked, handing her the lunchbox.

"I guess."

"Then let's go."

When they arrived at the school, they headed to the main office, where the secretary gave Leon some forms to fill out. "What's your middle name?" he asked Gabrielle.

"Nicole."

"Birthday?"

"March 14th."

Leon filled the rest out on his own, hesitating only for a moment when it came to filling out the father's name and information. When he finished, he handed the forms back to the secretary. "Thank you, and welcome to Cape Mary Elementary," she said with a bright smile. "Follow me, I'll take you to her classroom."

On the way to the classroom, Gabrielle reached for Leon's hand, holding it tightly. Her grip became even stronger as they followed the secretary inside a brightly painted room filled with about twenty or so rambunctious kids.

"Miss Jacobson, you have a new student," the secretary announced.

The teacher - a rather plain-looking woman in glasses who appeared to be in her mid- to late-twenties - came over to greet them. "Hello, nice to meet you," she said, offering her hand. "I'm Diane Jacobson."

Leon accepted the handshake. "Leon Oswald, and this -"

"No need for introductions, Mr. Oswald. I'm a huge fan of Kaleido Stage. What an honor to meet you and Miss Naegino in person!" She chuckled. "Oh, my, listen to me. I'm acting like a star-struck fan."

Sora grinned. "No need to apologize. It's always great to meet a fan."

"And who is this?" Miss Jacobson asked, looking down at Gabrielle, who had half-hidden herself behind Leon's legs.

"My daughter, Gabrielle Paradis."

The teacher bent down and smiled. "Hello, Gabrielle. It's very nice to meet you, too."

Gabrielle buried her face in Leon's clothes.

"She's a shy one, isn't she?" Miss Jacobson commented, holding out her hand. "Won't you shake my hand? I promise I won't bite."

She shook her head.

"What's the problem?" Leon asked, looking down at his daughter in mild annoyance. "This morning you were excited about coming to school."

Sora squatted down, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Look, Gabi. See all these kids? I'm sure they're all waiting to meet you and become your new friends."

"Miss Naegino's right," the teacher said. "We all love making new friends here."

Gabrielle still refused to let go of Leon, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I want to stay with Papa and Sora," she said in a soft voice that Leon could barely hear.

Miss Jacobson straightened back up, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "It's a classic case of separation anxiety," she told them. "I see it all the time. She'll be upset at first, but soon she'll be having too much fun to miss you." At that moment, one of the kids called for her. "Sammy, if I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times not to eat the glue!" she scolded upon seeing one of the boys sucking on a glue bottle. With a roll of her eyes, she turned back to Leon. "Sorry, I need to take care of that. I'll give you a moment to say your goodbyes."

After the teacher left to handle the glue situation, Gabrielle tugged on Leon's shirt. "Papa, do I have to stay?"

Sighing, Leon kneeled down in front of her. "Yes, you do."

"Why?"

He said the first thing that popped into his head. "Because I said so."

Sora hid a smile behind her hand. "I think what your dad is trying to say is that school can be really fun, and he wants you to make lots of new friends."

"Sora, you're my friend, aren't you?" Gabrielle asked.

"Well, yes, of course I am, but don't you want some friends your own age?"

"Maybe, but what if nobody likes me?"

"Not possible. They're going to love you."

Gabrielle threw her arms around Leon's neck. "I still don't want you to go, Papa," she said. "Can't you stay?"

Leon looked over at Sora for guidance, but she simply shrugged and moved away to give them some privacy.

"Gabrielle, you'll be fine by yourself," he said, gently breaking free of Gabrielle's hold on him. "Like Sora said, I'm sure you'll meet lots of nice people here."

"But Papa…" she whimpered, a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, please don't start crying. I can't handle crying girls." Leon spotted a box of tissues on the teacher's desk and took one. "Here, wipe your face."

Sora returned a few moments later with a little girl in pigtails in tow. "Gabrielle, there's someone I want you to meet," she said. "This is Melissa. I told her about you, and she wants to be your friend."

"Hi! Do you like to color?" the girl asked.

Gabrielle nodded.

Melissa pointed toward a table in the corner, where two other girls were sitting. "Me and my friends are coloring over there. Wanna join us?"

"Go ahead," Sora said, giving Gabrielle a light push forward. "It'll be fine. I promise."

She still seemed hesitant, but after a glance back at Leon and Sora, she agreed. "Okay," she said.

Melissa grabbed Gabrielle's hand and led her over to the table with the rest of her friends. After a couple of minutes, Gabrielle was laughing and smiling, having a great time.

Sora grinned. "I think she'll be okay now. Let's sneak out while she's not paying attention to us."

They left the room, Leon closing the door behind them. While Sora went ahead, he took a one final look inside the classroom before jogging to catch up with her. The two of them didn't say anything until they had reached Leon's car.

"Thank you, Sora," he said. "I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there."

"I thought something like that might happen," she admitted, glancing over at Leon. "She's getting attached to you, you know."

"I don't want to hear it." He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"And enrolling her in school just makes things seem more permanent. What's going to happen when the month is up and she has to say goodbye to all her new friends?"

Leon sped up, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "I said I don't want to talk about it."

"You can't ignore things just because you don't want to deal with them."

"I'm not ignoring it. I told you, I'll tell her when I find the right time."

"And when will that be? When you're at the airport?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't want to talk about it?" he snapped, turning on the radio.

After a few minutes, Sora reached over and turned it off.

"Wha-"

"I think there's a reason why you haven't told her," she said, cutting him off before he could protest.

Leon rubbed at his temple. "You know, you really try my patience sometimes, Sora."

"Do you want to hear my theory or not?"

"Not really, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway."

"I think a part of you wants to keep custody of her," she said. "I think you're getting just as attached to Gabrielle as she is to you, and you don't want to tell her because you think you may change your mind about signing away your parental rights."

"You're delusional," he scoffed. "You're just seeing what you want to see."

"Am I? I saw you looking back into the classroom when we were leaving."

Leon's eyes widened slightly, surprised Sora had noticed. "I was only checking to make sure she was okay."

"Because you care about her."

Inhaling a deep breath, Leon took a moment before responding. "I'm not some sort of heartless monster," he said in a soft voice. "She's my daughter; of course I care about her."

"Then why -"

"Look, can we just drop this subject for now?" he asked, again turning on the radio and raising the volume.

That time, Sora respected his wishes, remaining silent until the car pulled up in front of the Kaleido Stage dormitory. "Thanks for driving me back home," she said, opening the door.

Before she got out, however, Leon reached over and lightly grabbed her by the wrist. "Wait," he said, releasing his grip. "I'm sorry. I know you're only trying to help -"

Sora shook her head. "No, this really isn't any of my business. I'm the one who should apologize. I stuck my nose in where it doesn't belong. This is a decision you need to make for yourself, not one to be pressured into."

"I have appreciated your help with Gabrielle these last few days, Sora," he said. "Honestly."

She smiled. "It's no big deal. We're friends, and that's what friends do, right?" She got out of the car. "See you later, and if you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to call."

"Yeah, thanks. See you."

Leon intended to go back to his apartment after dropping Sora off at the dorms, but somehow he found himself driving to the public beach instead. As it was mid-January, the beach was pretty much deserted. Leon sat down on the sand and watched the waves of the Pacific Ocean crash against the shore, his long hair flapping in the breeze.

It occurred to him that in the three years since he had joined Kaleido Stage and moved to America, this was the first time he had ever gone to the beach for his own pleasure. He never had the desire before, but he could now understand some of the appeal. With its white sand and green-blue water, it was quite the beautiful sight.

He sighed, thinking of Gabrielle's wish for the two of them to go to the beach. Was Sora right? Was the reason why he kept putting off telling Gabrielle that she would be leaving in a month because he subconsciously didn't want to give her up?

"That's ridiculous," he muttered to himself. "Sora's just putting thoughts in my head because she disagrees with my decision."

But Sora was right about one thing. It was unfair to Gabrielle to let her get attached to him and her new friends without letting her know it was only a temporary situation. He had to tell her the truth, the sooner the better.

Leon fell back on the sand, using his arm to shield his eyes from the sun. A brief vision came to mind of him, Gabrielle, and Sora playing together on the beach, but he quickly pushed it back, shaking his head as he sat back up.

 _I'll tell Gabrielle the truth when she comes home from school,_ he decided.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that afternoon, Leon stood in the parking lot of the school, leaning up against the hood of his car as he waited for the final bell to ring. Gabrielle, Melissa, and the two other girls he remembered from that morning were among the first to exit the building. Gabrielle's face lit up the second she saw Leon.

"Papa!" Turning to her friends, she waved goodbye and said, "That's my dad. See you tomorrow!" She then ran over to the car, hugging Leon. "Papa, I had the best day!" she exclaimed, looking around. "Where's Sora?"

"She had some other things to do today."

"Oh." Gabrielle was momentarily disappointed by Sora's absence, but cheered right back up. "Anyway, I made lots of friends today," she said as she and Leon got in the car. She began counting on her fingers. "There's Melissa, Eva, Madison, Logan, Krystal, Alex, Sammy -" She paused, making a face. "Well, actually, Sammy's kind of annoying. He kept pulling on my braid all day, but Madison says that's 'boy-code' for him liking me." Gabrielle tilted her head to the side, frowning. "Is that true, Papa?"

"I suppose I must have done the same thing when I was his age whenever I liked a girl," Leon admitted as Gabrielle got in back.

"Well, that's stupid." She crossed her arms over her chest. "If you like somebody, you should just tell them, right?"

"It's not always that easy for somebody to confess their feelings."

"Have you told Sora you like her yet?"

"What? No," he said, closing the door and slipping into the driver's seat. "I told you. We're partners at work. She's a friend, but I don't like her that way."

"Are you sure? Because I think you do."

Driving off, Leon decided to change the subject. "Tell me about the rest of your day."

That did the trick. Gabrielle gabbed the rest of the way home, telling him stories about her new friends. Leon couldn't help but think she had talked more in one short car ride than she had the entire time he had known her up to then. He also noticed Sora's influence in the way she kept repeating words whenever she was excited.

"And then, and then, and then Miss Jacobson said I had the best handwriting in the entire class!" Gabrielle said as Leon pulled into his usual parking spot. "I even got an award for it."

"That's great," he said. "I'm glad you had fun."

"I love, love, love my new school!"

They headed upstairs to the apartment. "Put your bag in your bedroom, then come back out here," Leon told her. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Okay."

While Gabrielle was putting her things away, Leon prepared a small afternoon snack for her - a glass of milk and a cookie. She came back out a few moments later, waving a piece of colorful paper around. "Papa, can I hang this on the fridge?" she asked, startling Leon.

"What? Oh, yes, that's fine."

She hung her award on the refrigerator with the only magnet he had - a Kaleido Stage one - as Leon sat down at the table.

"Gabrielle, have a seat.

"What is it, Papa?" she asked, joining him. "You look kind of serious. Did I do something bad?"

"No. There's something I need to tell you," he said after a brief pause. "You see, when you came here, I…"

His hand clenched into a fist underneath the table. Despite the fact that he had rehearsed what he had planned to say to her all afternoon, no words came to him. Gabrielle stared at him, confused.

"Papa?

He shook his head. Whatever the reason, he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. Not yet, at least. "You know, it's nothing important," he lied. "We can talk about it some other time." Leon stood back up. "After you finish your snack, you can play until dinner."

She shrugged and reached for her cookie. "Okay."


	4. Questioning

Over the next couple of weeks, Leon tried several more times to tell Gabrielle the truth, but every time, he backed out at the last minute, unable to go through with it. He told himself that it just wasn't the right time, but he realized the longer he kept putting it off, the more attached Gabrielle would become to her new life in Cape Mary.

Indeed, she and Sora had grown especially close, as his partner took advantage of any excuse to come by the apartment.

"Hey, Gabi, I brought over the DVD of _Swan Lake_ ," Sora announced one evening after Leon let her in.

"Is that the show with the Angel move?" Gabrielle asked, setting aside the picture book she had been flipping through on the couch.

"Yeah. You said you wanted to see it, right?"

"Yay!" she squealed, running over to take the DVD from Sora.

Leon, however, snatched it from her hand first. "After dinner," he said, causing both girls to sport matching pouts.

"But Papa!"

"But Leon!"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, suddenly feeling like the father of two children instead of only one. "No 'buts'. First we'll eat, then you can watch the show. "

Leon headed to the kitchen, the two of them following after him.

"What's for dinner tonight?" Sora asked.

"Bouillabaisse," he replied, taking a sip of the broth to check that it was done. Satisfied with the taste, he began pouring the soup into bowls. "It's Gabrielle's favorite."

"Smells delicious," she said, sitting down at the kitchen table with Gabrielle. "Are you sure it's okay that I keep coming over for dinner like this, Leon?" she asked as he set one of the bowls in front of her. "I'm starting to feel like I'm some kind of freeloader."

He shrugged. "I don't mind. Cooking for one more person isn't much trouble. Besides, Gabrielle enjoys it when you eat with us."

"I think Papa likes it, too," Gabrielle added in a sly tone.

"Gabrielle…"

She stared down at her bowl, chastised. "Sorry."

Leon coughed into his fist, inexplicably flustered, and joined them at the table. "But, yes, I suppose it has been rather nice, having you here," he was forced to admit.

Sora grinned. "I enjoy it, too!"

When dinner ended, they moved back to the living room to watch the DVD. Sora and Gabrielle cuddled up together on one side of the leather couch, while Leon sat on the other side, drinking a glass of wine. Gabrielle was instantly entranced by the spectacle.

"So pretty…" she said in a hushed tone, in awe as Sora changed from her "swan" form into the human Odette in a burst of sparkles.

"Yes, she is," Leon found himself agreeing, unaware he had voiced the opinion aloud until he noticed Sora brightly blushing. He cleared his throat and stared down at his glass, wondering what had gotten into him. He hadn't had nearly enough wine to be anywhere near drunk.

Halfway through the show, the telephone rang. Leon told the girls to keep watching and went to the kitchen to answer the extension. "Hello?"

"Monsieur Oswald? It's Henri Joubert."

Though Sora and Gabrielle weren't paying any attention to him, too enthralled by the DVD, Leon moved further away from the door and lowered his voice. "Is this about the hearing?" he asked. "Have you managed to get a court date?"

"I have. It's set for March 6th," Mr. Joubert said. "However, that is not the only reason why I'm calling you. Nicolas Paradis is dying. His doctors are saying he probably has about a week left, two at the most, and Monsieur Paradis has requested to see his niece at least one more time before he dies."

"Nicolas wants us to come to Paris?" Leon rubbed his cheek, remembering the last time he had spoken to Emilie's older brother. To say it was not a friendly meeting would be a severe understatement of the highest order. "I don't know, Monsieur Joubert. I am busy preparing for a new show at Kaleido Stage, and Gabrielle has begun attending kindergarten…"

"It would make a dying man very happy, and I'm certain Gabrielle would appreciate the chance to say her final goodbyes. She and her uncle were quite close."

Leon frowned. That was another reason why he was reluctant to go to Paris. Emilie had died less than a month ago, and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to expose Gabrielle to death again so soon after her mother's fatal accident. "I'll consider it," he finally said after a long pause. "Let me think about it for a couple of days. In the meantime, keep me posted if anything changes."

"Yes, of course, I understand. Let me know as soon as you've made your decision, and I'll make the arrangements if you decide to come."

After saying goodbye, Leon placed the phone receiver back into its cradle and returned to the living room, surprised to discover that the sound had been muted in his absence. Gabrielle was standing right in front of the television set, her nose nearly pressed up against the screen.

"Gabrielle, you shouldn't stand so close -"

Sora reached for his arm. "Leon."

Gabrielle finally stepped back, allowing Leon to see what was on the screen. The DVD had been paused, showing a close-up of the audience. Among those in the crowd was a pretty red-haired woman, clapping enthusiastically.

"Papa, look, it's Maman!" Gabrielle said, pointing to the woman.

Leon's wine glass slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So you've decided to take Gabrielle to Paris?" Sora asked Leon the next day after practice.

He nodded. In the end, he had left the final decision up to Gabrielle, although he now had his own reasons for wanting to see Nicolas. "She wants to say goodbye to her uncle. We're leaving tomorrow."

"I think it will be good for her to see him," she said, wrapping her arms around herself. The look in her eyes was distant. "I wish I had the chance to say goodbye to my parents before they died..."

"I'm sorry to do this right when we're in the middle of preparing for the new show," he apologized, glancing away. He had forgotten that like himself, Sora had lost her parents at an early age.

Sora shook her head, her focus returning. "Don't worry about that. I can practice on my own. When will you be back?"

"We'll stay for the funeral, so I don't know the exact date of our return. We shouldn't be gone for more than a week at the most, though. Nicolas isn't expected to live much longer."

"Nicolas is Emilie's brother, right? Maybe he knows why she was in the audience for _Swan Lake_."

Leon frowned. The image of Emilie on the DVD had certainly thrown him for a loop, leaving him with even more questions than he had before. "I intend to ask him if I have the chance."

She leaned back against the wall. "It's strange that Emilie would come all this way to see the show, yet leave without seeing you. Do you think she wanted to tell you about Gabrielle, but changed her mind at the last minute?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine," he said, zipping up his duffel bag and throwing it over his shoulder.

"Um… Were you and Emilie really close?" Sora asked, her cheeks burning a bright pink as she began frantically waving her hands in front of her. "Never mind, never mind, silly question! You two had a child together, so of course…"

Leon sighed. "No, I'm certain Emilie must have hated me," he said in a soft voice, turning his back to Sora as he recalled the last time he had seen Emilie in the hospital. His free hand clenched at his side.

He had hurt her so terribly…

"Leon?"

He shook his head, erasing his mind of the awful memory. He hated remembering that night. "It's nothing."

"Sorry, it's none of my business again, right?"

"It's fine." He cleared his throat and turned back around. "Anyway, it looks like you'll have to eat your dinners in the dorm cafeteria again, at least for the time being," he said, changing the subject to a more neutral topic.

Sora smiled. "Mia and Anna will be happy about that. They've been teasing me about going on secret da-"

She abruptly stopped in the middle of her sentence, causing Leon to raise an eyebrow in her direction. "Secret what?"

"Nothing!" she said in a tone pitched several times higher than her natural speaking voice. "Nothing, nothing, nothing!" Sora glanced up at the clock on the wall and started pushing Leon toward the door. "Hey, isn't it time for you to pick Gabi up from school? You shouldn't keep her waiting."

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going. You don't have to push me," he said, wondering what had suddenly gotten into her. "See you later, Sora."

"Bye! Have a safe trip!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leon and Gabrielle flew to France the next day as planned. Since they had arrived in Paris in the middle of the night, they checked into a hotel rather than heading straight to Nicolas's place. Gabrielle fell asleep almost right away, exhausted from the long day of traveling, but Leon was still wide awake. He poured himself a drink from the minibar and pulled back the curtain on one of the windows, looking down at the night-time scenery of his hometown.

But Paris had never felt much like a home to him, just a city he happened to reside in. He hadn't returned since winning the International Circus Festival with May Wong over three years ago. As the previous champions, he and May had been invited to come back and compete again in last year's Festival, but since Sora had no interest in such cutthroat competitions, he had declined the offer and given his invitation to rising star Rosetta Passel instead.

As he continued staring out the window, tiny white flakes began falling from the sky, just barely discernable in the darkness thanks to the street lights. Despite himself, a small smile tugged at the corner of Leon's lips. One of the few things he missed about Paris - besides that little patisserie that once stood near his old apartment - was snow. Winters in Cape Mary just weren't the same without it.

 _Winter used to be Sophie's favorite season, too,_ he remembered, his smile disappearing nearly as fast as it had appeared. Leon took a sip of his drink and sighed, closing his eyes as visions of happier days came to mind. Sophie twirling around, attempting to catch snowflakes on her tongue… The two of them juggling snowballs, the practice inevitably dissolving into a snowball fight… Skating on a frozen lake after Sophie had expressed an interest in learning to how to figure skate…

The day of her funeral…

"Papa?"

Pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Gabrielle's voice, Leon let the curtain drop back down and turned around. "I thought you were asleep," he said.

From her spot on one of the two beds in the room, Gabrielle yawned and rubbed at her eyes. "I have to go potty," she mumbled drowsily.

"Over there." He turned on one of the lights so that she could see and indicated the door leading to the bathroom with a nod of his head.

Gabrielle climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. While she was gone, Leon downed the rest of his drink in one gulp and set down his glass. The liquor burned at his throat.

She returned a couple of minutes later and got back into bed, Leon moving to tuck her back in. However, as he was about to pull the covers over her, Gabrielle surprised him by reaching up to touch his face. His eyes widened.

"What's wrong, Papa?" she asked. "Why do you look so sad?"

Leon averted his eyes from hers and began tucking the blanket around her. "Do I?"

Gabrielle nodded. "Are you sad because Uncle Nicolas is dying?"

"I barely know your uncle," Leon replied. "I only met him a few times before." And none of them on good terms, but Gabrielle didn't need to know that.

"Then why?"

He sighed. "I was remembering your Aunt Sophie, my little sister," he reluctantly admitted.

"I have an aunt? Why haven't I met her?"

"She died about a year before you were born."

"Oh." Gabrielle went silent for a moment before asking, "What was she like?"

"A little like you, I suppose," he answered. "You look like her."

"I do?"

"You have your mother's eyes and nose, but otherwise, you could have passed as twins."

"Really? Do you have a picture?"

Leon hesitated a moment before pulling his wallet of out his back pocket and taking out the small photograph of Sophie he kept hidden behind his driver's license. "She's about fifteen or sixteen in this photo," he explained before handing it over to Gabrielle.

"Wow, Aunt Sophie's so pretty," Gabrielle said, staring at the picture. "If I look like her, does that mean I'll be this pretty when I'm grown-up?"

"I'm sure you will be."

"I hope so." She handed the photograph to Leon, who placed it back in his wallet, and rolled over on her side. "What else? Tell me more about her, Papa."

"That's enough for tonight," he said, not wanting to talk about Sophie any longer. Even after so many years, it was a painful subject to discuss. "It's late. You should go back to sleep."

Though disappointed, she rolled back over and obediently closed her eyes. Once he was certain she was asleep, Leon turned off the lamp and climbed into the other bed, eventually falling into a less-than-restful slumber.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nicolas Paradis, a successful investor in his prime, lived in an old townhouse in one of the historic districts of the city. When Leon and Gabrielle arrived the next morning, they were greeted at the door by a woman in her mid-fifties who introduced herself as Nicolas's caretaker.

"Monsieur Paradis will be so glad you came," the woman said as she took their coats, hats, and scarves. "He's been looking forward to your visit."

"How is he?" he asked. Though he had brought Gabrielle along, if Nicolas was in too bad of shape, Leon was disinclined to allow her to see him.

"As well as to be expected, considering. He's in pain, but the medications help. Though he's been depressed these last few weeks since his sister died, I'm certain seeing his niece will brighten his mood."

"I'd like to speak with him first," he said. "Would you mind looking after her for a bit?"

She nodded and took Gabrielle by the hand. "Go right ahead, sir. His room is on the second floor, the first door on the left. You can feel free to go right on in."

Following the woman's directions, Leon climbed up the stairs and came to a stop in front of the door to Nicolas's room, though he didn't immediately go in. He took in a deep breath, exhaling before finally knocking and opening the door.

Nicolas looked very different from the man who had nearly beaten Leon to a bloody pulp six years ago. Once a tall and robust man, thanks to his illness, he had been reduced to a pile of skin and bones, rendering him almost recognizable. His hair was gone, and his complexion was pale, nearly the same shade as the white pajamas he wore.

"Leon Oswald," he said in a weak voice, craning his neck in the direction of the door where Leon stood. "Heh, I can't say I ever wanted to see your sorry face again."

"It's been a long time, Nicolas."

Nicolas waved him over and moved to a sitting position, propping a pillow behind his back. "Well, don't just stand there. Come on in, unless you're afraid I'm going to kick your ass again."

Leon walked in further and took a seat in the armchair next to the bed. "You would be more than justified."

"Yes, I would," Nicolas agreed. "I went easy on you the last time. Unfortunately…" He shook his head regretfully, looking down at his emaciated body. "Anyway, where is Gabi? Did you bring her?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Your nurse is looking after her for the moment," Leon said. "I wanted to discuss some things with you first."

"Emilie?" Nicolas sighed and folded his bony hands in his lap. "Yes, I thought you might have some questions. What do you want to know? I'll try to answer as best I can."

"You knew, didn't you? That night you came after me, you knew that she was pregnant, but you didn't tell me."

"Emilie didn't want you to know, and quite frankly, neither did I. After what happened…"

"Then why did she change her mind?" Leon demanded to know. "Why did she name me as Gabrielle's guardian in her will?"

There was a long pause before Nicolas answered. "For a long time after that night, Emilie couldn't perform on the trapeze," he began in a low voice. "Of course, her injuries and her pregnancy kept her off the stage for quite some time, but even after Gabi was born, she refused to resume her training. She claimed she was retiring from performing so that she could focus on being a good mother to her daughter, but I knew that wasn't the real reason. Emilie was a born performer. She wasn't the type to give up the stage so easily."

"She was scared," Leon said, his hand clenching into a fist as he again flashbacked to that horrible night.

Nicolas nodded. "Yes. After what you did to her, she became frightened of the trapeze. She quit the circus and started a new career as a costume designer."

"Wait." Leon glanced back up, confused. "I thought Emilie died after falling from the trapeze."

"It was about three years ago when she next saw you again," he continued without answering the implied question. "Though she was no longer a performer, she had been invited to serve as a judge at the International Circus Festival."

"Emilie was at the Festival, too?" Leon didn't recall seeing her there. He had run into Emma, another one of his former partners, at the hotel where he and May were staying, but not Emilie.

"I remember she was quite impressed with that Demon Spiral you performed with your partner, but she wondered if the girl was really the partner you had been searching so desperately for. After you won at the Festival, Emilie began following your career at Kaleido Stage. When she heard you were planning to perform the Angel's Maneuver with your newest partner, she decided she had to see it for herself.

"I tried my best to talk her out of it. I thought it was a bad idea for her to see you again, but she was stubborn and wouldn't listen to me. She left Gabi with me and went to Cape Mary on her own. When she came back, though, it was like the real Emilie had returned. She began training on the trapeze again, determined to perform the Angel's Maneuver herself."

Leon's eyes widened. "The Angel's Maneuver? Then when she died, she -"

Nicolas shook his head. "No, as much as I would like to place the blame on you for her death, I'm afraid I'm the one at fault."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

He closed his eyes, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "A couple of hours before it happened, I called Emilie," he confessed. "My latest lab results showed that the treatments had stopped working, so I had decided to stop fighting the inevitable and go into hospice care. She didn't take the news very well." Nicolas paused, his skinny fingers grasping at his blanket. His voice trembled with emotion when he finally resumed speaking. "At her funeral, her partner Rene told me that Emilie had fallen on a basic maneuver that she had performed a thousand times before. He called it a 'freak accident', but I knew it was really because she had been distracted by what I had told her. She would have never made such a simple mistake otherwise." He brought a hand up to his face, discreetly wiping away a tear. "Sorry, it's difficult to talk about that day."

Leon stood back up. "I should come back later," he said, but Nicolas motioned for him to stay.

"No, sit."

Leon did as he was told, feeling awkward as Nicolas struggled to compose himself. Unexpected sympathy welled up inside him for Emilie's brother, knowing from personal experience the pain of losing a beloved sister, but unaccustomed to offering comfort to others, he simply kept silent until Nicolas spoke again.

"Sorry about that," he apologized again, turning his attention back to Leon. "I'd rather not have to do this more than once, so what other questions do you have?"

"Did Emilie ever perfect the Angel's Maneuver?" Leon asked, going back to the previous topic.

"Not to my knowledge, no. She always said that when she did, she planned to return to Kaleido Stage and tell you about Gabi, but she obviously never did."

"Why wait until then? Why didn't she tell me about our daughter when she was in Cape Mary?"

"That, I do not know," he admitted. "She never told me the reasoning behind her decision, but if I had to guess, I think it was because she wanted to be acknowledged as your true partner."

"What?"

Nicolas frowned. "Emilie - for whatever reason - loved you, Leon. Even when she hated you, a part of her heart always belonged to you, and when she saw you in _Swan Lake_ , I think she fell in love with you all over again. She told me that she had sensed a change in you, that you were no longer the God of Death she so feared. That's why I think she wanted to perform the Angel's Maneuver, to prove to you that she was worthy to be your partner, both on and off the stage." He scoffed. "Of course, if anybody was unworthy in that relationship, it was the other way around," he said. "You were the one who was never good enough for her."

"You're right," Leon agreed, unable to deny the truth of the matter. "I treated Emilie horribly. There's no excuse for what I did to her."

The glare on Nicolas's face softened somewhat. "You really have changed, haven't you? You used to be such a smug little bastard, thinking you were so much better than everybody else. It irritated the hell out of me. I never got what Emilie saw in someone like you in the first place."

Leon bowed his head. "I'm sorry for the pain I caused your sister, Nicolas," he said in a soft voice. "I sincerely mean that."

Nicolas sighed. "It does no good to apologize to me, although I do appreciate the sentiment. If you really want to make amends to Emilie, then take good care of your daughter." His shoulders dropped. "I won't be around for much longer, but as long as I know Gabi will be looked after, I can die in peace."

Leon glanced away, uncertain as to how to respond. He had assumed Henri Joubert had informed Nicolas that he planned to sign away his parental rights, but it seemed like he was in the dark. Fortunately, before the silence between them became too much to bear, there was a knock on the door. The caretaker and Gabrielle entered the room, Gabrielle running over and jumping on the bed to hug Nicolas.

"Uncle Nicolas!"

Leon rose from his chair, noticing the grimace that had briefly flashed across Nicolas's face. "Gabrielle, get down from there. Your uncle is in a lot of pa-"

"No, it's fine," Nicolas said, hugging her tighter despite the agony he must have been experiencing. "Oh, it's so good to see you again, my little Gabi!"

"I brought you some more pain medication if you need it, Monsieur Paradis," the woman said, setting a tray down on the nightstand.

He shook his head, refusing the pills. "Thank you, but not now, Pauline. They make me too sleepy."

Feeling out of place, Leon took their arrival as his cue to leave. "I'm going out for a bit," he announced mostly to Pauline, since Nicolas and Gabrielle were barely paying attention to him. "I'll come back for her later."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having no real destination in mind, Leon strolled aimlessly through the neighborhood. A light dust of snow covered the ground from the previous night's snowfall, and ice crunched under his boots as he walked along the sidewalk.

Due to near freezing temperatures, the streets were mostly clear of pedestrian traffic. Only a few souls were brave enough to venture out into the cold, including a group of kids having a snowball fight in the park. Leon paused a moment to observe them, but when he turned to leave, an errant snowball hit his shoulder.

"Sorry about that, monsieur," the oldest of the children said, running over to apologize. "I didn't mean to hit you. I was aiming for my cousin."

Leon brushed the snow off his coat. "No harm done," he said. "You and your friends better get inside soon, though. You don't want to catch a cold."

"We will," the boy promised before rejoining the others.

Continuing on his walk, Leon shook his head. Sora was right; he was acting more like a father. Now he was even parenting other people's children!

But he wasn't the father Gabrielle deserved, no matter what Sora, Nicolas, or anyone else said. After what he had done to Emilie…

When he next came to a stop, it was in front of a familiar cemetery. Unwittingly, he had walked to the site where Sophie was buried - a place he had not visited since the day of her funeral. Even when he last came to Paris with May to compete at the International Circus Festival three years ago, he had avoided visiting her grave, telling himself that he needed to focus on the competition.

Leon sighed as he looked through the cast-iron gate that stood at the entrance of the cemetery, his breath clearly visible in the chilly air. Though tempted to keep walking, he wrapped a gloved hand around one of the bars on the gate and pulled it open.

Other than himself, there were no one else around, the cold and snow keeping visitors away. Leon walked the snow-covered path to Sophie's grave, mildly surprised he still remembered the way after so many years. When he finally reached the headstone marking the spot where her body lay, he dropped to one knee in front of it, running his fingers across the engraved letters of her name.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Sophie?" he said in a soft voice. "I'm sorry I haven't come by to see you. I…"

Leon's voice drifted off, feeling silly talking to a piece of stone as if it was a real person. He had never really believed in the concept of an afterlife, not since the death of his parents when he was a child. Some well-meaning person had told him at the funeral that his parents had gone to a better place, but he failed to see how that was possible. How could that place possibly be better, when it meant they could no longer be together?

Sophie believed, though. Unlike him, she had taken comfort in the idea that their parents were in heaven, always watching over them like guardian angels.

"I don't know if you can even hear me," he began again after a short pause, "but there's so much I wish I could tell you. I don't even know where to begin." He brushed some snow off the top of her gravestone, taking a moment to compose his thoughts. "I finally fulfilled the promise I made to you on your deathbed. Performing the Angel's Maneuver was just as amazing as you always hoped it would be, Sophie. Everybody's angel hearts were awakened when they saw it, just like you said. I wish you could have been there to see it, too. My new partner Sora is a lot like you, just as strong and determined as you were, with the true heart of a performer. You would have liked her very much, I think."

"And you're an aunt now, too, if you can believe it," he continued, a slight smile on his face. "Her name is Gabrielle, and she's almost the spitting image of you at that age, so much so that it hurts to even look at her at times." Clutching at his heart, Leon shook his head. "No, that's not the only reason," he admitted, his smile disappearing. His voice trembled. "Oh, Sophie, if there's any chance that you are listening, tell me what to do. I think I'm doing the right thing, but… I've hurt so many people since you died, especially Gabrielle's mother. You would have been so very ashamed of your brother, had you seen the lengths I was willing to go through to find a partner worthy enough to take your place. No matter how much I wish I could go back in time and make things right, I know no matter what I do, I'll never be able to atone for my sins against Emilie…and Gabrielle."

For a long moment, Leon sat in silence, waiting for an answer. He wasn't sure what he expected to happen - perhaps he would be given some sort of sign, or maybe even Sophie herself would appear before him in spirit, bathed in angelic light - but when it became clear that nothing would, he stood back up and swept the dirt and snow off his pant leg. _This is ridiculous,_ he thought. _It's like I always thought. Once somebody's dead, they're gone forever. Did I really expect a gravestone to solve all my problems?_

He began heading back to the entrance of the cemetery. Roughly an hour had passed since he left the house; he supposed he ought to go back so that Nicolas could get some rest.

On his way back to the gate, however, one of the headstones caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Along the top of the stone, the surname Paradis was carved in large block letters. Leon paused for a moment, then shook his head at the thought that briefly passed through his mind. What were the odds…? _No, it has to be somebody else with the same last name,_ he thought. Yet, almost as if being pulled by some invisible force, he walked over to the gravestone and swept away the snow and ice covering the hidden names and dates engraved underneath.

Leon sucked in a sharp breath upon reading Emilie's name, joined by those of her deceased parents.

"She's buried here as well?"

He glanced up at the sky. Was the revelation that Emilie was buried in the same cemetery a sign from Sophie, or merely simple coincidence? If it was some sort of sign, he was at a lost as to what it could mean.

Still, as long as he was there, Leon figured he might as well pay his respects. He kneeled down in the snow in front of Emilie's grave, folded his hands together, and recited a half-remembered prayer from Sophie's burial. He concluded by making the sign of the Cross. Before standing back up, however, Leon brought two fingers to his chapped lips, then touched Emilie's name.

"I'm sorry, Emilie," he whispered. "For everything."


	5. Grieving

As predicted, Nicolas passed away within a week of their arrival in Paris. Gabrielle was not present when he died in his sleep, for which Leon was grateful. Having watched her mother fall to her death, the girl had already seen far too much tragedy in her young life.

However, that left Leon with the difficult task of telling Gabrielle her uncle had died. Pauline, who had plenty of experience in dealing with such matters in her line of work, offered Leon some advice on how to break the news to her, but it turned out he didn't need it, for Gabrielle realized what had happened the moment Leon stepped inside her room.

"Uncle Nicolas died, didn't he?" she asked from her spot on the bed, setting aside the doll whose flaxen hair she had been brushing. The doll - a final gift from Nicolas - had once belonged to Emilie when she was a little girl, and Gabrielle had given her the namesake Emmy.

Leon took a seat on the edge of the mattress and swallowed hard. Though Nicolas' death had little effect on him personally, it was tougher than expected to actually say the words in front of Gabrielle. "Yes," he said in a soft voice. "He died sometime last night."

"And he won't come back?"

"No, he won't be coming back."

For a long moment, Gabrielle sat in silence, letting the news sink in. She then reached again for the doll and hugged her close, tears running down her cheeks in tiny rivers. Leon shifted positions so that he was sitting next to her, and, in a move that surprised even himself, pulled Gabrielle onto his lap. Holding her close, he rocked her back and forth until she finally stopped crying and fell asleep in his arms.

As gently as he could, as not to awaken her, Leon laid her back down on the bed and pulled a throw blanket over her. After placing Emmy beside her, he quietly exited the room, running into Pauline in the hallway.

"How did she take the news?" the caretaker asked.

"As well as to be expected, I suppose," Leon said, taking one last look inside before shutting the door. "She's sleeping right now. I think the crying tired her out." Turning the subject to more practical matters, he asked, "What about the funeral arrangements? Did he have any special requests?" As Nicolas didn't have any other family besides Gabrielle, Leon presumed it fell to him to plan the funeral.

"Monsieur Paradis made most of the arraignments for his funeral when he decided to go into hospice care. I've already taken care of most of the necessary phone calls. The funeral will be held on Wednesday. As for Monsieur Joubert, I spoke to him a few days ago, and he asked that I -"

"Wait, the lawyer?" Leon interrupted. "What does he have to do with anything?"

Pauline frowned in confusion. "Monsieur Joubert is the executor of Monsieur Paradis' will. He was quite well-off, and, of course, he left the bulk of his estate, including this house, to Gabrielle. I thought you knew, Monsieur Oswald."

"No, I didn't." Although, now that Leon thought about it, he should have realized that Gabrielle was Nicolas' only heir.

"As I was saying, Monsieur Joubert would like to meet with you to discuss the terms of the will. Shall I set up a meeting for you?"

"Yes, I suppose you should," Leon said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Before the funeral, if possible. Gabrielle and I will be returning to the States right after the burial."

"Yes, sir."

As Pauline walked away, Leon pulled out his cell phone and found Sora's number in the phone book. It rang a total of ten times before she finally picked up.

" _Moshi moshi_?" Sora mumbled in Japanese before letting out a loud yawn. It was obvious that he had woken her up, having forgotten about the nine hour time difference.

"Sorry, I'll call back later," he quickly said, wondering why he was even calling Sora in the first place. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Wait, Leon, is that you?" She switched to English, sounding a little more alert. "Is something wrong?"

"Emilie's brother passed away last night," Leon said after a short pause. "He died in his sleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry. How is Gabrielle holding up?"

He glanced back over at the door to her room and sighed. "She's devastated, of course." Leaning back against the wall, he ran a hand through his hair. "I knew she would be, butâ€¦it's hard. I justâ€¦"

"You want to take away her pain," Sora said, voicing the words he couldn't quite seem to find.

"Yes."

"I wish I could be there with you. If you want, I can fly to Paris -"

"No, don't," Leon interrupted. Realizing that he might have sounded too harsh, he added, "I mean, I appreciate the offer, but it's not like you knew Nicolas. It's silly for you come all this way to attend the funeral of a stranger."

"I suppose you're right," she admitted. "I'll be thinking of you and Gabi, though. When will you be back?"

"Wednesday or Thursday. With the time difference, I don't know which day it'll be, but we're leaving right after the funeral. I don't want to stay here any longer than we need to. I'll be back at practice on Friday for certain, though."

"Okay, I'll see you then. Give Gabi my love. Bye."

"Good night," he said before ending the call and placing the phone back in his pocket.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the funeral, Henri Joubert came by the house to discuss the details of Gabrielle's inheritance. As Pauline was upstairs, helping Gabrielle dress, Leon answered the door and showed the lawyer to the parlor.

"My condolences for your loss," Mr. Joubert said, taking a seat on the couch and pulling out a thin stack of papers from his briefcase. "I understand that you were not on the best terms with Monsieur Paradis, but this still must be a difficult time for you and Gabrielle."

"Thank you." After offering Mr. Joubert a cup of coffee, he sat down in in a nearby armchair. "So, I assume the majority of Gabrielle's inheritance is being held in trust?" Leon asked, getting straight to business. There was only about a half-hour before the funeral was scheduled to begin, and he had little desire to prolong the meeting more the necessary.

"Yes." Mr. Joubert handed him a sheet of paper. "Shortly after his sister died, Monsieur Paradis revised his will and named you trustee of Gabrielle's financial affairs until she is twenty-five years of age."

"What?" Leon scanned the contract and frowned. Though it was written in complicated legal jargon, he understood the main gist of it. Glancing back up at Mr. Joubert, he asked, "Did you not inform Nicolas that I intend to give up custody of Gabrielle?"

"The revision was made before I brought her to you, and as of his death, you are still her father and legal guardian," the lawyer said, avoiding answering his direct question.

"Other arrangements should have been made, regardless."

"Yes, well, I must confess that I held hope you would change your mind, Monsieur Oswald. It isn't often you hear of a father willingly giving up his parental rights after he learns his daughter is an heiress to a modest fortune."

Sighing, Leon sat back in his chair. "I don't need money. I make a more than comfortable living working at Kaleido Stage."

"But -"

"Would you rather I keep custody of Gabrielle solely to get my hands on her inheritance?"

Mr. Joubert looked sheepish. "Well, when you put it that wayâ€¦" He took a sip of his coffee. "Then nothing has changed? You still intend to sign away your rights?"

Leon hesitated. Up until then, whenever the question arose, he never had to think about it. Though he sometimes entertained doubts about his decision, he had always stubbornly stood by it, certain that in the end it was the correct choice. Yet...

"No, nothing's changed," he said after a long pause, digging his fingernails into the arms of the upholstered chair. "I've made up my mind."

"I see."

"Papa?"

Leon nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Gabrielle's voice coming from the doorway. How much of that did she overhear? he wondered as he turned around in his chair.

"Forgive us for interrupting," Pauline said, coming up behind her, "but she insists that only you style her hair, Monsieur Oswald."

Leon relaxed a little when Gabrielle walked over and handed him a brush, some rubber bands, and two black velvet ribbons that matched the dress she was wearing - the one he had bought for her on their shopping spree with Sora. She wasn't acting any differently than usual, so he doubted she had heard anything damaging.

"Gabrielle, I'll braid your hair later, okay?" he said. "Monsieur Joubert and I are in the middle of a meeting."

Mr. Joubert stood back up. "Actually, perhaps we should wait to discuss things more thoroughly once more immediate matters have been resolved," he said, giving Leon a pointed look. "We'll settle these details later. Is that okay with you, Monsieur Oswald?"

Leon nodded in agreement; that seemed the most logical decision, considering the circumstances. "Yes, that's fine."

"Here, I'll show you out, Monsieur Joubert," Pauline offered, leading him out to the front door.

When they had left, Gabrielle kneeled down on the floor in front of Leon, in between his legs. "Papa, what were you and Monsieur Joubert talking about?" she asked as he began brushing her long hair.

Leon paused mid-stroke. "Nothing important," he lied. "Just some grown-up stuff you don't need to worry about." He resumed brushing her hair, hoping she would lose interest in the subject. Today was not the day to inform Gabrielle that she was living with him only on a temporary basis. "How do you want me to do your hair? French braid? Pigtails?"

"It doesn't matter."

Her voice was so soft that Leon could barely hear her. Since she had brought two ribbons, he decided to go with braided pigtails, ending each plait with a neatly-tied bow. When he finished, it was time to head to the church for the funeral.

Leon and Gabrielle took a seat in the front pew, along with Pauline. The funeral had a small but respectable turnout, consisting mostly of friends and former business associates of Nicolas's. Leon didn't know anybody else there besides Henri Joubert, who was apparently a family friend. Gabrielle sat quietly throughout the entire requiem Mass, her hands folded primly in her lap. She seemed to be trying her hardest not to cry, although Leon noticed an occasional tear rolling down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand. Midway through the ceremony, he unconsciously wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders and pulled her closer to him, allowing her to bury her face in his black suit jacket.

The burial took place immediately after in the same cemetery where Emilie and Sophie were buried. The priest kept the graveside service mercifully short, as it was a bitterly cold day. In fact, while they were lowering the coffin into the ground, it began to snow again, bringing back painful memories of the day of Sophie's funeral. When Gabrielle's tiny hand reached for his, seeking comfort, he wondered for a moment if perhaps she was the one comforting him instead.

Leon didn't bother visiting Sophie's gravesite again, although after all the mourners left, he and Gabrielle placed fresh flowers on Emilie's and her grandparents' graves. They then headed back to Nicolas's townhouse, where Gabrielle hid herself in her room while Leon finished packing their things and made the final flight arrangements.

They were flying back to California later that evening, as Leon saw no point in sticking around after the funeral. The sooner they left Paris, the better.

For both of them.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The week following their return from Paris after Nicolas's funeral, Gabrielle fell back into the same behavior she had exhibited when she first arrived in Cape Mary. She rarely spoke and only ate the bare minimum at meals, even though Leon did his best to cook foods he knew she liked. Even daily visits from Sora did little to cheer her up.

"I'm at my wit's end," Leon confessed to Sora after one such visit, seeing her out of the apartment. "I don't know what else I can do."

"I think all you can do is give her time, Leon," Sora said. "She's lost two of the people she loved the most in a very short period of time. That's a lot for a little girl to deal with. Just keep doing what you have been doing, and I'm certain she'll soon return to her normal self."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I suppose you're right. I just hate seeing her like this."

"I know. I do, too." Sora placed a hand on Leon's arm. "In the meantime, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call. I mean it. Anything at all, you can count on me."

"Thank you, Sora," he said. He truly did appreciate everything she had done for him and Gabrielle. "See you tomorrow."

After Sora left, Leon went to Gabrielle's room to check on her. He found her already in bed, clutching the ever-present Emmy in her arms. It seemed the doll had become a security blanket of sorts; it was a battle every morning to convince her to leave it at home when she had to go to school. He walked over and wordlessly tucked her in, surprised when Gabrielle grabbed his hand when he turned to leave.

"What is it?" he asked, turning back around. "Do you want a glass of water?"

She shook her head. "Can I ask you something, Papa?"

Leon took a seat on the edge of the mattress. Considering recent events, he had expected Gabrielle would eventually have some questions, so he had picked up a book that explained the best ways to talk about death to children in preparation. "What do you want to know?"

"Are you going to leave me, too?" she asked. "Like _Maman_ and Uncle Nicolas did?"

He sucked in a sharp breath. That was the one question he had hoped she wouldn't ask, although he suspected the subject would come up eventually. "I don't plan to die for a very long time, if that's what you want to know," he replied after a long pause, sidestepping the real question. "I'm a very healthy man."

"But _Maman_ died in an accident."

"Yes, she did. Accidents sometimes do happen."

"So you could have an accident and die, too?"

"Gabrielleâ€¦" He sighed, unsure of how to respond. The book he read claimed that when children asked if a surviving parent was going to die, they usually just wanted reassurance that in the event something like that were to happen, they would be taken care of, but with her future custody in question, Leon could make no such promises. "You shouldn't worry about things like that," he finally said, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "No matter what happens, I'm sure you will be fine. For now, try to focus on the here and now, okay?"

"Okay, I'll try," she promised in a soft voice.

Leon stood back up and walked over to the door, pausing before he exited the room. "You know, if there's anything special you want to do, you should let me know. We can go to Marine Park or Disneyland or the zooâ€¦ Anywhere you want to go or anything you want to do, we'll do it."

For the briefest of moments, he thought he saw a glimmer of the old Gabrielle in her eyes. "You promise?"

"Yes, I promise," he said. "Think it over and let me know when you decide, okay?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn't until a couple of nights later that Gabrielle decided to take Leon up on his offer.

"Um, Papa?" she said, moving around the contents of her plate with a fork. Though she was beginning to regain more of her appetite, little by little, she still had left the plate half-filled. "I think I know what I want to do."

"Oh?" Leon set down his fork, giving his sole attention to Gabrielle. "What is it? Would you like to go to the zoo?"

She shook her head. "I want to have a sleepover."

"A sleepover?" Leon frowned, not exactly enthused by the thought of having to look after a group of squealing kindergarteners for the night. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go to Disneyland?" Granted, going to an amusement park wasn't exactly his idea of a great time, either, but given a choice, he considered it the lesser of two evils.

"Papa, you _promised_."

"I know, but..." True, he _had_ promised, but he never expected she would ask for something like this. "Can't you hold a sleepover at somebody else's house?"

"But all my friends are fans of yours. They want to see where you live."

Leon rubbed at his forehead, struggling to think of an excuse - any excuse! - to get out of it. "You know, some of your friends' parents might be uncomfortable with the idea of letting their daughters stay here without an adult woman present."

Gabrielle tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

"Adult reasons," he quickly replied, hoping she didn't ask for further clarification.

"Oh." For a moment it seemed as if she would give up on the idea, but then she asked, "Wait, what about Sora?"

"Sora?"

"She could sleep over that night."

"Gabrielle, I don't th-"

"Please, Papa? I promise we'll be good."

Leon sighed, realizing he couldn't break his promise. It was the least he could do for Gabrielle, considering that he would soon be signing away his parental rights. Besides, with Sora there to help him, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Are you _positive_ this is what you really want? Throwing a slumber party will make you happy?"

She nodded.

"Okay, I'll ask Sora if she can stay over that night. If she says yes, you can have your sleepover."

Gabrielle jumped up from her chair and ran over to hug Leon from behind. "Thank you, Papa!" she said, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm going to call all my friends and let them know."

"Wait, you haven't finished your dinner yet!" he called out as she ran off. "Besides, Sora hasn't agreed yet."

"She will," Gabrielle said, grinning for the first time since her uncle's funeral before going to make the calls.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sora, may I speak with you for a moment?" Leon asked the next day at practice, interrupting a conversation she was having with Mia and Anna. He had been trying to talk to her about the slumber party all day, but it seemed that whenever they had a break in rehearsal, Sora was chatting with one of her friends. "In private?"

"Um, okay, I guess," she said, sounding surprised. After all, it wasn't often that he sought her out at Kaleido Stage when she was around other people. "I'll catch up with you guys in a few minutes," she told her friends. "Go ahead without me." Once Mia and Anna were gone, she turned to Leon. "What's up?"

"I need you do to me a favor. It's kind of a big one."

"Sure, whatever you need," she said, wiping the sweat off her brow with the towel around her shoulders. "What is it?"

"Can you spend the night at my place on Saturday?"

"Um, wowâ€¦" A faint pink colored Sora's cheeks, giving her a rather attractive glow. "I -"

Leon, realizing how his question must have sounded, shook his head. "That didn't come out right. It's for Gabrielle. She wants to invite some of her friends over for a slumber party, but I don't think I can handle that many kids by myself, so..."

"I don't mind helping you look after them. I'd love to!"

His shoulders dropped. "You would?" He had been hoping she'd decline so he would have an excuse to cancel the party. "You don't have anything else to do that night? Plans with friends? Or maybe a date?"

Sora shrugged. "No, not really. Anna was talking about us maybe going to the comedy club to check out some new acts on Saturday, but we never made any definite plans. I'm sure she won't mind if I bow out if I explain the situation. Besides, a slumber party sounds like fun. I love kids."

"They're going to be doing _crafts_ ," Leon informed her, emphasizing "crafts" as if it was a dirty word. "With Valentine's Day coming up, they want to make special cards for the boys they like."

"Oh, how cute!"

He frowned, not finding the idea cute at all. "Since when are five-year-old girls interested in boys, anyway? Aren't boys supposed to have cooties at that age?"

Sora giggled. "You're sounding more and more like a father every day."

"It's not funny. Gabrielle told me this morning she has a crush on Sammy-the-Glue-Eater. The kid eats _glue_ , Sora."

"Well, I'm sure he must have some good qualities, too. They say that girls look for guys like their fathers, after all."

"I have never once in my life eaten glue," Leon said, offended that Sora would even think he might have anything thing in common with the little punk who had inexplicably captured his daughter's eye.

"It'll be fine, Leon," she assured him. "It's not like she's going to marry the boy. The girls are probably just caught up in the romance of the holiday. They'll give the boys their cards, and the next day they'll go right back to thinking they have cooties."

"I hope you're right."

"In any case, it's good that she's found something new to focus on, right? It sounds like she's cheered up a little."

"Some," he agreed, glancing down at his watch to check the time. It was a little after three. "Anyway, I need to get going. School's almost out."

"Okay. Tell Gabi I said 'hi'."

"I will."


	6. Kissing

Late Saturday afternoon, Leon and Gabrielle were busy preparing for the sleepover when there was a knock on the door. Leon finished moving the coffee table out of the way and glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was about half an hour before the party was due to start.

"You did tell your friends to come at four, right?" he asked Gabrielle, who was clearing away her toys.

"That's probably Sora. I'll get it!" Gabrielle dropped her dolls and ran over to the door to answer it. "Hi, Sora!"

"Hey, Gabi," Sora said, smiling as she entered the apartment. "Excited for the party?"

"Yeah!" Noticing the large shopping bag Sora was carrying, she pointed to it and asked, "What's that?"

"Well, your dad told me you were making Valentine's Day cards, so I thought I would introduce your friends to a Japanese Valentine's custom."

"What is it? What is it?"

Leon came over and relieved Sora of her sleeping bag and small suitcase. "Yes, what is it?" he asked, somewhat less enthusiastically.

"Making candy!" Sora said, causing Gabrielle's eyes to light up.

"Candy? Like chocolate?"

"Exactly. In Japan, Valentine's Day is the day for a girl to tell a boy how she feels about him. You can buy him a present or candy, but a lot of girls prefer to make their own chocolate, too. Then, one month later, on White Day, the boy answers the girl's feelings by giving her white chocolate or some other white present if he likes her, too."

"That's cool!" Gabrielle exclaimed. "But I don't think any of the boys in my class know about White Day."

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure they'll appreciate the chocolate anyway, You can also give 'obligation' chocolates to your friends and family." Sora handed the bag over to Gabrielle. "Here, will you take that to the kitchen for me?"

"Sure!"

"Don't forget to pick up those toys you dropped, too!" Leon called out after Gabrielle before turning his attention back to Sora. "Chocolate?" He eyed her warily. "You want to teach six little girls how to make candy?"

"I thought it would be a fun activity. Back home, my friends and I would do this every year around Valentine's Day," she said with a shrug. "Why? Is there something wrong with making candy? Is one of the girls allergic?"

Leon massaged his temple. Gabrielle's friends hadn't even arrived yet, but he could already feel the beginnings of a massive headache coming on. "No, but if they get hyper on all the sugar, I'm blaming you," he warned. "And I'm not going to clean up the kitchen afterwards."

"Fuddy-duddy," she teased good-naturedly.

With Sora's help, they managed to get the apartment cleaned and the furniture in the living room cleared away just before the guests began to arrive. Once everybody was there, they began working on their Valentine cards at the kitchen table. Leon sat at the island counter reading a book, content to let a more-than-willing Sora take charge of the proceedings.

"I'm finished, Sora!" Gabrielle announced, pointing down at her heart-shaped card. She had written "Happy Valentine's Day, Sammy!" - with Sora's help on the spelling - on it in glue, along with a drawing of a couple of stick figures holding hands.

"Very nice," Sora said, "but don't you want to add something else to it, like some glitter? I bet that would look really pretty."

She shook her head. "Sammy likes glue, so I want to decorate his card only with glue. Do you think he'll like it?"

"Glue," Leon muttered as he turned a page in his book. "My daughter is in love with Glue Boy."

Sora, who heard him, gave him a look and mouthed the words "be nice" before answering her question. "I'm sure he'll love it, Gabi."

"I hope so," she said, moving the card over to the side before starting on a new one. "This one is going to be yours, Papa, so don't peek."

Leon closed his book and stood up. "Fine, I'll go order the pizzas," he said. "Is one cheese and one pepperoni okay with everyone?"

There were no objections, so Leon called for delivery. Thirty minutes later, the pizza arrived. With boxes in hand, he returned to the kitchen and set them down on the island.

"Okay, the pizzas are here, so it's time to clean-up," he said, looking at the kitchen table, which was littered with Valentine's Day cards and craft supplies.

"But Mr. Oswald, some of the glue is still drying," Luisa, one of the girls, pointed out. "We can't move anything yet, or they'll get messed up."

Sora frowned. "We didn't think this through very well, did we? I guess we'll just have to eat in the living room."

"Sora, can I talk to you for a second?" Leon asked, pulling her aside. "You want to let six girls eat greasy pizza on my living room furniture?"

"It'll be okay… I think. Besides, all your furniture is leather. It'll be easy to clean up if they do make a mess."

"But what about the carpet?"

"I'll handle it," she promised. "I'm pretty good at removing stains. Remember when you dropped your wine glass when you saw Emilie on the Swan Lake DVD? I cleaned that up, and now you can't even tell there ever was a stain."

It seemed like he didn't have much of a choice. "Fine. They can eat in the living room if they're careful, but we're only serving water as drinks."

"Deal." Sora turned back around. "Okay, girls, go wash your hands. Le- I mean, Mr. Oswald and I will start handing out the drinks and pizza."

Leon never consumed such fattening things like pizza, so while Sora and the others happily chatted and ate their dinner, he leaned back against the wall, drinking a glass of wine and silently daring somebody to make a spill on his watch.

"Papa, aren't you hungry?" Gabrielle asked, noticing that he wasn't eating.

"I'll eat something later."

Sitting beside Gabrielle on the couch, her best friend Melissa asked, "Hey, Gabi, can you ask your dad to put on a show for us?"

"Yeah!" another of the girls, who Leon thought was named either Eva or Ava, agreed. "That would be awesome!" Turning around in the loveseat to look at Leon, she pleaded, "Will you, Mr. Oswald? Please?"

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" her seatmate Krystal echoed.

"I did not sign up to be your dinner entertainment," Leon said coolly, taking a sip of his wine.

"Please, Papa?" Gabrielle begged. "Everyone wants to see you perform. Sora, too!"

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Sora said, clapping her hands together. "In fact…" She headed back to the kitchen and returned a few moments later, carrying six small oranges in her arms. "Ta-da!"

Leon arched an eyebrow. "And just what are those supposed to be?"

"What do you think they are? They're oranges."

"I know that. I meant, what do you plan to _do_ with them?"

"We'll juggle them, of course," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We can't exactly do the trapeze in here, after all."

"Who is this 'we' you speak of? I agreed to no such thing," he reminded her. "Besides, I've seen you try to juggle before. You're a terrible juggler."

"But Rosetta's been giving me special training. I'm much better at it than I used to be." Walking over, she placed three of the oranges in Leon's free hand. "Come on, Leon. The girls want a show, and it'll make Gabrielle happy," Sora said in a soft voice.

Glancing over at Gabrielle's hopeful face, Leon sighed, remembering the reason he had agreed to the sleepover in the first place. "Fine, I'll do it," he said. "Just don't make me look like an idiot out there." He downed the rest of his wine and set the glass down before joining Sora in the open area in the middle of the room.

Things got off to a good start, but a couple of minutes into the act, one of the oranges bounced out of Sora's hand, just barely missing knocking over a lamp on one of the end tables thanks to a quick save from one of the girls.

"Oops!" Sora said when the girl handed the orange back to her. "Good catch, Madison. Thanks!"

Leon pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head in mild exasperation. He had known from the start that this was a bad idea. While Sora had many talents, juggling simply wasn't one of them. "I swear, you break it, you buy it, Sora."

"That was just a freak accident! Watch, I'll show you the 'fruits' of my special training with Rosetta." The girls all groaned at her horrible pun as Sora sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, sorry, I guess I've been hanging around Anna for too long." Getting back into position, she told Leon, "Let's start over. I promise I'll be better this time."

Against his better judgment, they began the act over again. Leon grudgingly had to admit that despite her earlier mistake, Sora's juggling had improved quite a bit since the last time he saw her attempt it. After performing together for so long, they had a good sense of each other's timing, so it was easy to keep the rhythm going. Leon even began enjoying himself a little, finding it impossible not smile when looking at Sora. When they finally finished, the girls all gave them a standing ovation, Gabrielle's the loudest of them all.

"Thank you!" Sora said, taking Leon's free hand so they could bow together. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Seeing the huge smile on Gabrielle's face, he had to agree.

It wasn't so bad at all.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once dinner was over and the cards were cleared away from the kitchen table, it was time to start making the candy. Despite his repeated protests, Sora insisted Leon participate as well, putting him in charge of melting the chocolate while she helped the girls with the actual making of the candy.

"What kind of chocolate do you want, Papa?" Gabrielle asked.

Leon, standing at the stove and stirring the pot with disinterest, gave a dismissive wave. "I don't eat chocolate. Don't bother making me any."

"You don't?" Sora asked, glancing over at him. "Not even on Valentine's Day?"

"No."

"Then what do you do with that enormous pile of chocolates you get from your fans every year?"

"Throw them away."

"Leon, some of those are homemade!" she scolded, hands on her hips. "You can't throw them away like they're trash."

"Why not?" he asked, not seeing what the big deal was. At least he accepted them in the first place, which was more than he would have done a few years ago. "If they're our fans, they should know that it is important for us to watch our weight."

"Well, I guess you do have a point, but you could at least share them with other people."

"If it's that important to you, feel free to take them off my hands. I have no use for them."

"Maybe I will." Coming up behind him to check on the progress of the chocolate, she said in a soft voice, "But you could at least eat chocolates from Gabrielle. It won't kill you."

"Sora…"

"She wants to make you candy. Is that so horrible?"

Leon sighed, then called out to Gabrielle, "If you really want to make me some chocolates, then I prefer the dark kind. None of that sickeningly sweet milk chocolate cr-" He was about to say "crap," but remembering his audience, he switched to "stuff" at the last moment.

"Okay, Papa!"

Sora smiled at him in approval and walked back over to the table to help Gabrielle.

They finished making the candy around eight. While the girls left to change into their nightclothes and prepare for bed, Sora began cleaning up the kitchen, Leon filling up the sink with water to do the dishes.

"I thought you said you weren't going to help me with the clean-up," she reminded him, bringing over some dirty pots and bowls.

He shrugged as he slipped on some rubber gloves. "I changed my mind. Is that such a crime?"

"No, not at all," she said, grinning. "Thanks!"

After she finished wiping off the counters and table, Sora came up beside him and began drying off the dishes he handed to her, putting them away. "It sure is quiet out there," she remarked. "I wonder if the girls are already asleep."

"I hope so," Leon said, handing her another bowl.

Sora giggled. "Come on, Leon, having them around hasn't been that bad, has it?"

"Well, it could have been worse, I suppose," he had to admit. At least he had managed to survive the last few hours with his sanity in tact. If Sora hadn't been around, he probably would have snapped somewhere in between the crafts and the candy.

"I think you may have even enjoyed yourself a little tonight."

Leon threw a side-glance at her, arching an eyebrow. "You need to have your eyes checked."

"Well, I know Gabrielle certainly appreciated it. I haven't seen her so happy since before you left for Paris. I think this sleepover really cheered her up."

"Mmm."

"You are a good father, you know," Sora said softly. "I know you don't think you are, but it's true."

Almost dropping the pan he was scrubbing, Leon sighed. He had hoped they could go the entire evening without discussing the issue of Gabrielle's future custody. "Sora, if this is going to turn into another one of your lectures -"

She held up her hands in mock-surrender. "Okay, okay, I won't say anything more about it."

They finished doing the rest of the dishes in awkward silence. Once they were done, Leon slipped off his rubber gloves and set them on the counter. "Well, I'm off to bed," he announced, deciding he could do without dinner for the night. He had suddenly lost his appetite. "I trust you'll be fine looking after the girls by yourself?"

"Sure. See you in the morning," she said, tapping his shoulder when he turned to leave. "Wait, you have a little bit of chocolate on your cheek."

"Where?" Leon rubbed at his left cheek. "Did I get it?"

"No, it's on the other side. I'll get it for you." Reaching up, she used her thumb to wipe the chocolate away, her touch lingering for perhaps a second more than necessary before pulling her hand away and licking it. "There."

"Thanks," he said in a soft voice, staring down at her.

"Leon?" She gave him a quizzical look. "Is something wrong? I thought you were going to sleep."

"No, it's just…" He shook his head, wondering what had suddenly come over him. "You have some on your face, too," he said, noticing a tiny bit of chocolate at the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, where? I thought I got all of it."

"Here…"

Without thinking about it, as if acting on reflex, Leon bent down and licked away the spot of chocolate. Sora drew in a sharp breath, caught off guard.

"Leon…"

He knew he probably should stop before things went too far. Instead, overcome by feelings he had not felt in years, Leon cupped her face between his hands and brushed his lips against hers. Sora's mouth parted slightly, allowing his tongue entrance. Though she tasted faintly of the chocolate she had snacked on while helping the girls, Leon found himself enjoying the sickening sweetness. He pressed Sora's back against counter behind her, deepening the kiss, as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. Neither of them realized they had an audience until they heard giggling coming from just outside the kitchen.

Leon, breaking away from Sora, turned around to find six heads peering through the entrance.

"Sora and Mr. Oswald, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage -"

"You all, out. Now," Leon ordered in a rough voice, uncharacteristically flustered. "Lights out in five minutes."

Gabrielle and her friends squealed and hurried back to their sleeping bags. When Leon turned his attention back to Sora, she was staring off into space, two fingers pressed against her lips. Her cheeks were flushed pink. "You take care of them," he told her, purposely avoiding the subject of what had just happened between them. "I'm going to bed."

Snapping back to reality, Sora reached for his arm. "Leon, wait -"

He didn't turn back around. "Don't let the girls stay up too late. I'll see you in the morning, Sora."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning was awkward. Though Leon wanted nothing more than to forget what had happened the night before, knowing it had been a huge mistake to kiss Sora, that was difficult to do when every two minutes or so, one of the girls began another rousing chorus of that infernal kissing song. After about the fifth round, Leon snapped.

"I swear, the next one to sing even a syllable of that stupid song will not be having be having breakfast this morning," he threatened, waving around the spatula he was using to make pancakes. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Oswald," they said in unison, followed by Gabrielle's soft, " _Oui_ , Papa."

Sora herself was unusually quiet. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other since they woke up beyond a polite "good morning." While Leon cooked breakfast, she set out the plates and silverware, then took a seat at the end of the table. Leon thought he sensed her glancing over at him a couple of times, but he made a concentrated effort not to check, focusing on flipping the pancakes as if the fate of the very world depended on it.

When he finished, he brought the pancakes over to table and sat down in the only free chair available, directly across from Sora. For a moment, their eyes met, but Leon quickly looked away, reaching for the morning paper to read. Even the children seemed to sense the tenseness in the room, because for once they had ceased their chattering until Gabrielle broke the ice.

"Papa, can I ask you a question?"

Sighing, Leon lowered his newspaper. "What is it?"

"Is Sora your girlfriend now?" she asked.

He briefly glanced across the table at Sora, whose cheeks had turned a light pink, before answering. "No, we're not dating."

"But you kissed her. That means you like her, right?"

"That's enough. Eat your breakfast."

"If you like her, you should just tell her."

"Gabrielle, I said, 'Enough,'" Leon said in a firm, but sharp tone. "Do not make me repeat myself again."

Gabrielle stared down at her plate and mumbled, "Yes, Papa."

The rest of the breakfast passed in almost complete silence, nobody wanting to get on Leon's bad side. Afterwards, the girls started packing up their things and waited for their parents to come pick them up. While Sora and Gabrielle handled seeing the guests off, Leon took his time cleaning up the kitchen, trying to think of the best way to handle things with Sora.

By the time he finished cleaning and returned to the living room, the last girl was leaving with her father. Leon waited until they had said their goodbyes, then cleared his throat, getting Sora's and Gabrielle's attention.

"Gabrielle, why don't you go play in your room for a while?" he suggested, walking over. "Sora and I have some things we need to discuss."

"Okay," she agreed, giving them their privacy.

Once Gabrielle had disappeared into her room, Sora spun around to face Leon. "Look, if this is about last night," she said, beating him to the punch, "we don't have to make a big deal of it. We can just forget it even happened."

"Is that what you want?" he asked, surprised she was being so reasonable about the whole thing.

Instead of answering, Sora turned the tables on him. "What about you? Is what Gabi said this morning true? Do you…like me?"

"Sora, this is insane."

"Is it? You were the one who kissed me."

"I know, but -"

Sora stepped forward and reached for his hands. "It's a simple question: yes or no?" she said. "Mia and the others always say I'm dense when it comes to this sort of thing, but ever since Gabrielle arrived, I've felt this strange connection forming between us. It's different than the bond we shared before. Maybe I'm just imaging things -

Leon shook his head. "No, I've felt it, too," he admitted.

The corners of her lips turned up in a shy, hopeful smile. "You have?"

"But last night was a mistake," he said, releasing her hands. "I shouldn't have kissed you. I wasn't thinking, and I let my emotions get the best of me."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Sora placed her left hand flat against his chest, over his rapidly beating heart. "Forgetting everything else, how do you honestly feel about me? Do you like me?"

"Sora…"

"Yes or no?" she repeated. "Sometimes, it really can be that simple, Leon. Just listen to your heart."

He sighed. There were a thousand reasons why is was a bad idea for them to get involved. First of all, there was the age difference - he was several years older than her, and much more experienced. Even though it was obvious to everybody except Sora herself that Ken Robbins had a massive crush on her, Leon didn't recall her having a single boyfriend in the three years since they were partnered together. She had dedicated herself entirely to Kaleido Stage, leaving no time for romance.

And there laid another possible problem. What would happen if they did begin a relationship and things soured between them? Would they be able to continue working with each other, or would he be forced to leave Kaleido Stage? (Leon had no doubt if such a thing happened, he would be the one to leave. Sora was much too valuable an asset to Kaleido Stage to let go, despite his arguably more impressive technical skills.) He had no desire to partner with anybody else. In Sora, he had found the only person who could take Sophie's place as his true partner on stage, the only person he wanted to perform with. Without her, his career would be over.

Then there was Gabrielle. Sora had made her opinions about his decision to give up his parental rights quite clear. Once Gabrielle was gone, he wondered if their (potential) relationship could survive the fallout. His daughter had brought them closer, but without her around, Leon feared that whatever bond had formed between them these past few weeks would be broken.

Maybe it wasn't even a romantic bond they felt. Maybe they were misreading the signs, confusing friendship for something else. Maybe…

Yet underneath Sora's hand, his heart continued to pound against his ribcage, and his mouth refused to say the words his brain insisted it say. Instead, he lowered his head and caught Sora's lips once again, obeying his heart's desire.

"Then, you like me?" Sora asked when they finally broke apart. She smiled up at him, never looking more beautiful in Leon's eyes.

Feeling his body relax, Leon smiled back. "Yes, I like you very much, Sora Naegino," he confessed, leaning forward so that their foreheads touched. "And you?"

"Wait here."

She pulled away and went to the kitchen. When she returned a few moments later, she was holding a medium-sized, heart-shaped chocolate, simply decorated with the words "Happy Valentine's Day" in white frosting.

"I know you said you didn't like chocolate, but I made you one anyway," she said, holding it out to him. "Though it's a day early, will you be my Valentine?"

"Yes…but I'm still not eating the chocolate," he said, accepting the chocolate from her and placing it on a nearby table.

Sora's face fell. "Why not? I made that just for you, and I made sure it was the dark kind."

Smirking, Leon walked over to her and lifted up her chin. "Why eat chocolate when I can just eat you instead?" he asked before kissing her again.


	7. Accepting

After the sleepover, Sora became a near-permanent presence at the apartment, which delighted Gabrielle, who couldn't have been happier that Sora and Leon had begun dating. Sora stayed over almost every night, and for a while, it was as if they had become a real family.

But the upcoming custody hearing always loomed over them, a topic that both Leon and Sora took care to avoid discussing. Neither wanted to risk ruining their newfound happiness, yet as the court date rapidly approached, the inevitable discussion about what would become of Gabrielle became harder and harder to put off.

"We need to talk," Sora announced one evening about a week before the court date.

Leon, knowing exactly what she wanted to talk about and not wanting to hear it, came up behind Sora and began nuzzling her neck, one of his hands roaming downward. "Less talk, more kissing," he whispered into her ear, hoping to distract her.

"Stop it, Leon. I'm being serious." Sora swatted his hand away and turned around to face him. "We can't keep ignoring the elephant in the room like this. It's time for you to make a decision."

Leon ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Sora…"

"Do you still intend to sign away your parental rights?" she asked. "The court date is just days away, yet you still haven't told Gabi about the hearing."

"I will."

"When?"

"I don't know," he admitted, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

Sora sat down beside him, reaching for one of his hands and resting her head against his shoulder. "I know it'll be hard, but if you really intend to give Gabi up, she needs to be told."

"I know."

"Of course, if you want to let her stay…"

"Sora, it's -"

She shushed him, bringing a finger to his lips. "No, you can't say this isn't any of my business anymore," she said. "I'm your girlfriend, Leon. I love that little girl as if she was my very own, and I don't want her to leave."

Leon abruptly stood back up. "I never asked you to become her surrogate mother," he said in a sharp tone, rounding on her.

"You're right." Sora glanced down and began playing with a loose thread on the comforter. "I knew I shouldn't have let myself get so attached to her," she continued in a soft voice, "but she reminded me so much of myself at that age, when my parents died. I just wanted to help her…and you."

His eyes widened. "Me?"

Sora stood and moved behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso. "You've always been so guarded, for as long as I've known you," she said, placing a hand over his heart. "You don't let people into your heart easily, so I thought I would try to help you bond with Gabrielle. Maybe it really was none of my business, but she's your daughter, Leon. You've become a family." She shook her head, correcting herself. "No, _we've_ become a family. Haven't we?"

Leon broke free of her hold. "Don't make this decision even more difficult than it already is."

"But that's the thing. It shouldn't be that difficult. Gabi loves you, and you love her - don't even try to deny it. You have the financial means and the physical ability to take care of her, so what's the problem?"

"You just don't understand."

"You're right. I don't understand, so explain it to me. Please."

Leon's hands clenched into fists at his side. Why did Sora have to keep pushing him about this? If she knew what he had done to Emilie, had almost done to Gabrielle… She would hate him, just as much as he already hated himself for what had happened that night.

"Please," Sora softly begged again. "I want - No, I _need_ to know the truth. Make me understand why you're acting like this."

He inhaled a deep breath, realizing that she wasn't about to let the subject drop unless he finally told her the truth.

"Gabrielle… I almost killed her."

"W-What? Leon, what are you talking about? You've never hurt Gabri-"

"Her mother was the first victim of the so-called 'God of Death'," Leon said, beginning the story before he lost his nerve. "It happened a few months after Sophie's death at the Festival. I joined the Noir Circus where Emilie worked, and we were paired together. It wasn't long before we were sleeping together as well, although my heart wasn't really into the relationship. I liked her well enough, I suppose, but I was mostly just using her to forget my grief. I wasn't a very good boyfriend."

"Leon…"

Sora reached out to him, but Leon took a step back, moving away from her grasp. "My main reason for joining that circus was to find someone who would be able to perform the Angel's Maneuver. Emilie had an incredible talent and charisma, so I thought maybe she could be the one," he explained. "Then one night, she wasn't feeling well. We had a show, but she wanted to cancel until she felt better. We fought. I thought she was being weak and told her she wasn't worthy of being my partner if she let a silly thing like an illness get in the way of her performing. She begged me for the chance to prove otherwise, so I told her that during that night's performance, I would give her the opportunity to show off."

Sora brought a hand to her mouth, her eyes going wide at the implication.

"I did to her what I did to May and all the others. I dropped Emilie without warning, expecting she would be able to handle the ab-lib. She couldn't. I tried to catch her, but I was a second too late. She was badly injured." Leon paused for a moment, expecting Sora to say something. When she didn't, he continued, hoping she wouldn't despise him after she learned the worst part. "The last time I saw Emilie was later that night at the hospital. I wanted to apologize for what I had done, but all she did was scream at me all these things that didn't make sense to me at the time. Something about how I didn't know what I had almost done. When I found out about Gabrielle, I finally understood the meaning behind those words. The illness she was complaining about that night was morning sickness. Emilie had found out she was pregnant, and I almost caused her to miscarry the baby."

Sora sat back down in visible shock, not saying anything in response to what he had just told her. Leon, unsure of how to take her silence, thought he might have preferred it if she had yelled and screamed at him instead.

"Do you understand now?" he asked. "I don't deserve to be Gabrielle's father."

After a long moment, Sora's eyes looked back up, finally coming out of her stupor. "But you had no way of knowing," she said. "Emilie didn't even know she was pregnant until after it happened. If you had known, you never would have done something like that! I know you wouldn't."

"It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have done it to her, pregnancy or not."

"That's true, but -"

Leon turned away. "There is no excuse, Sora."

"Maybe not," she admitted. "But even if you did a horrible thing to Gabrielle's mother, that doesn't mean you can't be a good father to her. You're not the person you were back then. You've changed, and I'm sure Emilie saw it too when she came to watch you perform in _Swan_ Lake." Sora came up to him, lightly caressing his cheek. "Emilie obviously forgave you for what happened; if she hadn't, she never would have left Gabi in your care in the event of her death. If she can do it, can't you forgive yourself?"

"Gabrielle is leaving; end of discussion. I'll tell her tomorrow morning."

"Leon…"

He shrugged her hand away. "I'm going to get a drink."

Leon exited the bedroom, needing a moment to himself. As he walked down the hall to the kitchen, however, he glanced over at Gabrielle's bedroom door and noticed it was ajar, light poring out into the hallway. He frowned. He had tucked her in over an hour ago; what was she still doing up? Concerned, Leon walked over and poked his head inside.

"Gabrielle, it's past your bed- Gabrielle?"

The room was empty, her bed unmade. Noticeably missing was Emilie's doll, which Gabrielle had slept with every night since they returned from Paris.

"Gabrielle?"

Leon checked the bathroom across the hall from her room. It was empty as well.

"This isn't funny, Gabrielle," he called out, beginning a search of all the other rooms in the apartment. "I'm not in the mood to play hide-and-seek. Come out right now."

"Leon, what's wrong?" Sora asked, sticking her head out of the master bedroom.

"I can't find Gabrielle. She's not in her room."

"She has to be around here somewhere." Sora came out and joined him in the search. "Gabi?"

"Gabrielle?"

Though they checked everywhere they could think of, Gabrielle was nowhere to be found in the apartment. Leon leaned back against a wall, struggling to remain upright as the realization hit him.

"She's gone," he said, running a hand through his hair. "She must have overheard us talking and ran away. Oh, God!"

"Don't panic," Sora said, taking charge. "She can't have gotten very far on foot. Let's get dressed and look for her."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later, they were in Leon's car, driving around the neighborhood. "I don't even know what direction to go in," he muttered when they came to the first intersection. Gabrielle could be anywhere.

"Is there any place in particular she likes to go?"

"I don't know."

"Turn left," Sora said, making the decision for him. "I'm calling Jerry." She pulled out her cell phone and called her long-time friend, the policeman. "Jerry, it's Sora. Leon Oswald's daughter has gone missing. We think she's run away from home. … Her name is Gabrielle Paradis. She's five years old, a little under four feet tall, with green eyes and long white-blonde hair. The last time we saw her, she was wearing a pair of pink 'Hello Kitty' pajamas. … I don't know how long she's been gone. Leon put her to bed around seven-thirty, maybe eight? But we didn't notice her missing until about ten minutes ago. Leon and I are looking for her now. … No, we're already going that way. Check in the other direction. … Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, Jerry. Let us know if you find her." She hung up. "He's joining the search as well. He's going to check around Kaleido Stage. We'll take the area around her school."

Leon nodded his understanding.

"Maybe she went to one of her friends' houses…" Sora mused aloud.

Without taking his eyes off the road, he reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out his own cell, which he tossed over to Sora. "Their parents' phone numbers are saved in the phone book. Start with the Fiorellos. Melissa is her best friend, and their place is closest to the apartment."

"On it."

While Sora was on the phone, calling the parents of Gabrielle's schoolmates, Leon kept focus on the search, straining to find any sign of Gabrielle in the darkness. A barrage of thoughts attacked his mind, but the most prominent among them was the fear that she might get hit by a car, just as Sophie had. If anything happened to Gabrielle… He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, willing himself to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Nobody's seen her, but they said they would call if they did," Sora said after finishing the last call. "A few even offered to look for her, too."

"We have to find her, Sora. We have to."

She reached over and placed a comforting hand on his knee. "We will."

A short time later, a streak of lightning flashed through the cloudy night sky, accompanied by a loud crash of thunder. A storm was brewing.

"Damn it!" Leon swore, remembering the night Gabrielle first came to live with him. "She's afraid of thunder."

Sora stifled a cry. As calm as she had been up until then, he could tell that the longer they went without finding Gabrielle, the more upset she was becoming. Leon avoided looking over at her, not wanting to add to his own rising panic. It began to downpour, making it that much more difficult to see in the dark. He was so intent on the search that he nearly jumped out of his skin when one of their cell phones rang. Sora, who was still in possession of both of them, checked the name on the display.

"Leon, it's Officer Jerry!" She quickly wiped away her tears and answered her phone. "Jerry, did you find her? Is she okay?" Sora asked, breathing a sigh of relief when she heard the answer. "She is? Oh, thank you!" She reached for Leon's arm. "He found her. She's scared and a little shaken by the storm, but she wasn't hurt."

"Where are they?"

Sora turned her attention back to the phone. "Where are you?… Okay, we'll be there as soon as we can. Thank you again, Jerry." She hung up. "He found her at the bus stop in front of Kaleido Stage. He's taking her there. They'll be waiting for us in the boss's office."

Leon performed an abrupt U-turn, turning the car back around and breaking all the speed limits on his way to Kaleido Stage. Once there, he jumped out of the car and dashed to Kalos's office, Sora right on his heels. Leon didn't even bother knocking, barging right into the office. Relief washed over him the moment he saw Gabrielle sitting on the couch with Sarah, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she sipped from a mug of hot chocolate. She was wet, but otherwise appeared unharmed. Kalos and the police officer were also present.

"Gabrielle…"

Gabrielle looked up at the sound of his voice. "Papa?" After handing her cup to Sarah, she stood up. She took a few hesitant steps forward, then ran over to Leon, tears in her eyes. "Papa!"

Leon dropped to his knees, embracing his daughter. A sob shook through his body.

"Papa, don't cry," Gabrielle said. "I'm okay."

He hugged her even tighter and kissed the top of her head. "Don't you ever scare me like that again," he told her.

"I won't. I'm sorry I was a bad girl."

"That's not true." He pulled back and shook his head. "You are a wonderful, amazing little girl, and I love you so much," he said, wiping the tears away from her cheeks with his thumbs. "I was a bad father, Gabrielle, and I'm so, so sorry."

"But I heard you and Sora talking. You're going to send me away."

"No, I'm never letting you go." Leon hugged her again. First thing tomorrow morning, he was going to put in a call to Henri Joubert to cancel the hearing. "Not ever."

Over by Kalos' desk, the hulking policeman started bawling as well. "It's so beautiful! I love a happy ending," Jerry said as Kalos wordlessly handed him a tissue from the box on his desk. "Thanks, man."

"Sorry for the imposition, Boss," Sora said.

Kalos gave a off-hand wave. "It's fine. I'm about to be a father myself in a few months, so I understand a little what Leon must have felt. We're just glad everything turned out alright."

"Oh!" Over on the couch, Sarah gasped and placed a hand against her stomach. "The baby just kicked. I think she's saying she's glad, too."

"She? It's a girl?" Sora asked.

The expectant mother grinned. "We just found earlier today. Isn't it marvelous?"

"Yes, congratulations! That's amazing!"

Leon, though tempted to keep to his word literally, finally did release Gabrielle, allowing her to run over to an overjoyed Sora. He stood back up and looked over at Kalos.

"Yes, it is," he agreed. "I'm sure that little girl is going to steal your heart."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

After thanking Jerry for locating Gabrielle, Leon walked over to Sora and his daughter and took Gabrielle by the hand. "Come on, you two," he said. "I think it's time we head home. It's been a long night."

Sora, who had grabbed Emmy from the couch, reached for Gabrielle's other hand. "Home," she repeated, smiling as they left Kalos' office and headed back to the car. "Yes, I like the sound of that."

So did Leon.

For so long, he had been on his own. Sora was right. After Sophie died, he had closed off his heart to others, afraid to get too close to anybody and risk experiencing such pain again. Now that Gabrielle and Sora were in his life, however, he couldn't imagine his life without them. Somewhere along the way, they truly had become a family.

"Look at her, Leon," Sora whispered when they had returned back to his apartment and put an exhausted Gabrielle back to bed. "Doesn't she look like a little angel when she's asleep?"

Leon came up behind Sora and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Yes, she does."

"I'm so glad you changed your mind about sending her away."

"So am I," he said. "You were right. I was being a coward. I was ashamed of what I had done to Emilie and scared to admit my true feelings. All I was doing was running away again, just like I did after Sophie died."

"But you've stopped running now, right?"

Leon smiled and kissed the back of Sora's head. "Right."

He was no longer alone, and he couldn't have been happier.

The End


End file.
